The Summoner
by succexytop
Summary: Konoha might have won the war but with the Jounin's death rate rocketing, Tsunade has no choice but to promote Chunnins to Jounins fast and she wants Iruka to be an examiner? Iruka is just a Chunnin, right? And why does Kakashi like to see Iruka furious?
1. The Announcement

DISCLAIMER : I only own the plot, sadly.

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><p>I watched my students come and go over the past few years when I taught them their first jutsu or their first shuriken throwing practice. It feels nice when I see their joyful faces during graduation. Their laughter made it worthwhile and my loneliness forgotten. Even until now, my house welcomes my previous students with a listening ear for their problems. They confided in me their worries and I, a solution in return. I leaned on the frame of my front gate, waving as Sakura said her goodbye.<p>

Her face was marked with dried tears of frustration over her inability as a med-nin. I heaved a sigh of relief after her frail body gradually stopped shaking due to her hard sobbing. Poor child, she is just sixteen and already placed with a huge burden on her shoulders. Although we won the war against the Mist, Konoha was in a state of distress after many shinobis laid in the makeshift hospital bed with gruesome battle wounds. Granted, Sakura was gifted with great healing power at a young age however, there was only so much a person can take when many lives are precariously hanging between your hands and death.

Konoha was missing quite a number of potential shinobis and it was truly a shame. The number of Jounins was not enough to support the reconstructing job needed on Konoha. With the number of the injured at a record high, even Tsunade-sama was forced to lend in a helping hand.

Therefore, Tsunade-sama came up with a solution; any form of teaching shall stop immediately. Chunins with Genins under their belt would be assisted with a Jounin who will assign miscellaneous work to help improve the condition of Konoha. Konoha had taken quite a hit with buildings turned to rubble and the food supply short. Thus, being a teacher to a class of Genins, Tsunade-sama instructed me to bring my students and report to Kakashi tomorrow.

So, the next day and now, here we are.

I looked to my left and smiled at the joyful faces of my students. Their eyes were filled with determination and anticipation. I couldn't blame them considering this was their first real mission. I still remember the days when these troublemakers would play pranks on me just so they could win a bet made between each other. My heart glowed as I watch them march down the village with excitement.

Finally, we arrived at Konoha Shelter where Kakashi was already waiting with a disgusting book in hand. If I weren't there for myself during a match between him and two ANBU from the Mist, I would have never thought the expressionless, dead eyes, pervert of a Jounin were the genius everybody came to respect and fear. Anyone who hadn't met Kakashi would have thought he was a lecher and they were right to some extent because well, he was. Sometimes, when I take a shortcut back home behind Konoha's shady alleys, I overhear graphic details about Kakashi's prowess and I had to swallow back bile.

But, I digress.

For once, Kakashi was earlier than well, ANYBODY! Kakashi was a man known for his ability to be late for an arranged meeting or even an important discussion. I wonder which hell froze over for him to be on time. I don't know if I actually like him since I haven't had the chance to have a proper talk with him but my guts tells me to be wary and I trust my instinct. It has proven true mostly except the time Naruto came home all flustered and I thought he confessed to Sasuke but it was the other way around! I laughed so hard it got me out of breath. Aside from that, my instinct hasn't been wayyyy off.

Again, I digress.

Anyhoo, here comes the man himself, Hatake Kakashi.

"Iruka-sensei," Kakashi finally reached me after walking like a sloth over to my side and gave a short bow.

"Hatake-san," I reciprocated it and yes, he's Kakashi in my head. Calling him Hatake is just a formality.

"Please call me Kakashi; calling me Hatake-san makes me feel older than my age." He replied with a smile or so I thought when his eyes turned into crescents. I couldn't see his smile because of the black mask covering his face but I like to be optimistic.

With that, we started breaking up the group into three teams. After telling each team of their job, they all went ahead and separated to the respected venue. They took pride in what they were doing and I really thought it was precious. No matter how much Genins I have taught in my life, the feeling of euphoria never ceases when I see my own students ecstatic like today.

"Aren't they cute?" I thought aloud and jumped when I felt Kakashi's presence looming behind me.

"Sure they are." He deadpanned.

My face grew bright red as I sputtered like an idiot. He gave me quite a scare. I couldn't trace his chakra at all and before I know it, he's standing behind me. I must be getting rusty. Embarrassed by my reaction, I decided to help somewhere away from him. Soon, I got lost into what I was doing until Yuki, one of the sweetest Genin in my class tugged my sleeve and asked me to join her and the rest for lunch. I put down the chunks of wood I was carrying and said okay. I mean, who can resist nice children really?

I wanted to be nice and ask Kakashi if he would like to join us for a quick break but what I saw had me flying into a rage.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I exclaimed loudly.

I stormed in cumbersome steps a metre away from where Kakashi was lounging under a tree reading that idiotic _Icha Icha Paradise. _He didn't as much as look at me, he merely continued flipping the pages with that poker face of his. Did he even read that book?

"Kakashi-san. Just what do you think you're doing?" I punctured each word harsher than the last through gritted teeth. Oh man, my head is getting light. Being angry is so exhausting.

After awhile, Kakashi gingerly put down his book and stared at me with bored eyes, "I'm reading."

I swore I saw red when he said that.

"You are supposed to be helping out!" I raised my hands in exasperation. I felt my face flush with my cheeks getting warmer and warmer.

"_Iruka-san_," his eyes smiling in pretence.

"_Kakashi-san_," I nearly spat out the word, my tone in mock respect.

I was ready to fly into rage about how a lazy prick he was when suddenly, I felt myself being summoned. Crap, I was going to lecture Kakashi. What could be so important that I be summoned now? Rolling my eyes and a promise to Kakashi that I will be back, I transported myself to Tsunade-sama's office.

"You summoned Tsunade-sama?" I bowed in greeting.

"I'm just going to go out and say it." Tsunade-sama said to me in her commanding voice while she poured herself another cup of sake.

I stiffened. I felt my gut constricted which left me with a heavy heart. Whatever she was going to announce, I knew I wouldn't like it one bit and I was right.

"I need you to be one of the examiners for the Jounin exam, Iruka."

And just like that, my anger dissipated.

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><p><strong>AN :**

HEYHEY! Here's my first KakaIru story and an action-packed one.

I hope chapter 1 was intriguing enough for my readers to want more because this is just a test run. So, if you guys want me to finish this, please drop in a review to to tell me how you liked it because you don't know how even a smiley face can make a writer pick up a pen again.

I thank you in advance. :D


	2. The Beginning

DISCLAIMER : Don't own em.

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><p>"...T-Tsunade-sama..." I choked up.<p>

"Is there a problem Iruka-sensei? or should I call _Syounkanshi-san_?" Her sharp gaze seared through my soul knowingly and I felt something akin to how a predator eyes it's prey.

Depressing memories which I tried so hard to suppress came out flashing and repeating like a broken reel. I shook my head in a feeble attempt to rid of the mental image of that incident one clear August night and it worked, momentarily. Now, to get myself out of this situation.

"T-tsunade-sama, ... it's not that I don't want to be an examiner but I have retired from being a Jounin and I'm perfectly happy teaching Genins." I scratched the back of my head awkwardly and looked away.

"Iruka," Her voice, precise and clear left goosebumps on my arms. "I'm not requesting, I am commanding you as Hokage for you to be an examiner in the upcoming Jounin exam coming up," How she managed to keep her tone crisp beats me after the numerous empty bottles of sake on her table.

She was right. I had no say in this. If the Hokage wants me dead for the sake of the village's safety, I would gladly give up my life. Biting my bottom lip, I sighed tiredly and yield. I bowed in respect and acceptance seeing that there was no other way around to this. I kept my head down for a few seconds, waiting for other instructions from her but nothing was said. Being the abiding ninja that I was, I kept my bowing stance. Wild thoughts ran through my mind in those minutes of silence. What if I not good enough? What if I am not ready to take on being a Jounin role again? I am sure my skills must be getting rusty. I haven't practice for years now since then. Soon, my mind was clouded with all the negativity and I lost myself into it.

I was taken out of my reverie when I heard a loud cough from Tsunade-sama. I stood up straight and looked at her.

"I have been coughing for awhile you know," She had a smirk pulled at an end of her mouth and her statement finally dawned on me. Blood was rushing fast to my face and I was sure she knew I was blushing. How embarrassing! I let out an awkward laugh, trying to salvage the situation.

Suddenly, something I didn't expect happened. Tsunade-sama had a small smile on her face. If I didn't know any better, it almost looked like a face of endearment. I found myself relaxing under her gaze and quickly, I found myself with a smile in return.

"I don't like pulling the Hokage card but please understand Iruka; I have no choice considering the little Jounin we have left. I know doing this to you will bring back bad memories but isn't it time you face those demons of yours? You are one of the most promising shinobis we will ever have but you're not allowing yourself to improve. I know you are more than the caring Chunin everybody loves and Konoha needs that Iruka now, especially now." Tsunade-sama's voice was soft and empathetic, reminding me of Mama when she held my head in her lap, stroking my hair with those warm hands of hers whilst story-telling.

"I understand Tsunade-sama. I know your job as Hokage demands such decisions from you," I bowed one last time and turned around to leave when a hand placed gently on my shoulder. I nodded in understanding and quietly left the room.

After that discussion was done, I walked back to Konoha Shelter with hands in my pockets, thinking about the possibilities of what the future could hold. Sighing at my pessimism, I decided to stop thinking of it altogether. Now was not the right time, I still have continue working and supervise the kids. Imagine my horror when I found Kakashi napping with that stupid Icha Icha Paradise covering his face or whats left of his unhidden face anyway. The anger I felt before was fast spreading through my whole body and I clenched my fists that was trembling slightly with rage tighter to keep myself in check before I explode in a un-iruka-like manner. Why does he keep getting on my nerves? Worse is that he isn't even trying!

I counted to ten until my breathing stabilized and I trusted myself enough to not murder that sorry excuse for a Jounin. Oh how he infuriates me so! I screamed loudly in my head. Oh no, here's the anger bubbling in the pit of my belly, threatening to overtake my senses again. Crap, I need to calm myself down before I do anything stupid.

"Iruka-sensei, are you okay?" I melted at the sight of shining doe eyes staring at me in concern.

"I'm fine Akira-kun, thank you for asking." Why are my students so precious? I patted the red haired boy fondly and again, I found my anger gone in a snap, "Why don't we call everyone for a water break?"

I looked over to Kakashi and frowned. He can wait.

Doing the responsible thing, I continued working and took a note in my head to have a serious talk with Kakashi tomorrow. Sadly, I still had a few weeks to a few months with Kakashi depending on the progress of the village. I am going to need a lot of patience during those days and maybe a few drinks. With that, the day passed and it was time to release the Genins back to their homes for dinner. Conviniently, Kakashi decided to wake up at the exact timing where I announced the end of the day. I pursed my lips in disapproval. Waving to the last of my students, I saw them off the front gate.

"Are we done here Iruka-sensei?" Kakashi said monotonously while swiping away the dust stuck on his uniform.

My eyebrow twitched but not wanting to create a scene or see him for that matter lest he spoils my evening, I replied a curt yes.

"That was fun; we should do this again sometimes." He smiled.

He was so asking for it, "We have to do this _everyday_."

"...Right. Well, goodbye Iruka-sensei. I have more sleep to catch up on," He vanished with that statement.

I kicked a stone in frustration.

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><p>Flopping down on my couch after a hot bath with a stack of paper to grade was not my idea of a perfect evening but it beats cursing Kakashi in my head. Taking a comfortable position on my couch, I started marking the homework. Halfway through, I felt a migraine coming on and I groaned as I forced myself to go find some aspirins to ease the pain.<p>

Pinching my temple in hopes of the migraine disappearing, I sluggishly dragged my feet to my bedroom where I kept my medicine. I blindly rummaged through the drawer for any sign of a small white bottle since I was too lazy to turn on the lights. My hands roamed every corner of the drawer till I my hand touched something familiar, something cold, solid and filled with bitter memories. I took it out of the drawer and sat on the edge of the bed. Even without the flourescent lights clearing my sight, I knew what it was. Taking a deep breath, I fingered the _Shinrai's_ sheath, my beloved _wakizashi_ and a reflection of my past. I gulped and slowly pulled it out of her sheath, her blade gleaming under the moonlight streaming in from the window.

_Breathtaking._

I released a breath I didn't know I held. Seasons passed and she still managed to steal my breath away. Shinrai was water to my parched soul after a year both my parents died. Sarutobi-sensei then wanted to distract me from my grieving and it worked. I was afraid and didn't know how to cope with the sudden death of my parents. It took awhile but Sarutobi-sensei managed to get past my defences. I could still remember how reluctant I was.

I was nine when they were murdered.

_"Iruka, would you please come out of the room? I won't harm you."_

_"Never! You're a liar!"_

Okay, maybe I was a wee bit more than reluctant.

But, that was understandable when I overheard the women talking about how my parents died in a mission together, killed by their own teammate. Life went downhill from there for me. I refused to eat, I was a pain to everybody nice to me and I was just a plain mess. I remember locking myself up in my parent's bedroom with tears continuously flowing down my swollen eyes while clutching a picture of them closely to my chest. It was difficult when I had to wake up everyday to an empty house. The silence was deafening. Sometimes, when it hurts too much and I had no tears left to spill, I spilt blood instead.

I hated looking myself in the mirror. The resemblance of my father in me was uncanny and my wounds reappeared. One day, I couldn't take it anymore and I threw a bottle at the mirror. It shattered into pieces and one of the small shards cut my finger. At that point of time, the pain felt nice,_ welcomed._ From then, I would mutilate myself in a feeble attempt of forgetting my troubles. For hours I would stare blankly at the blood dripping onto the bathroom floor one drop at a time and soon, it became a routine.

The next thing I knew, I was facing a white ceiling inside the hospital. I tried to move but my body wouldn't listen. I remembered how my temper flared at the sight of Sarutobi-sensei watching me intensely beside the bed like a hawk, wary of my movement. My mind went black for a few minutes and when I came to, all I saw was Sarutobi-sensei stunned. Looking back, I felt foolish acting the way I did but behind every dark cloud, there was a silver lining. Mine just happened to be an emergence of a new ability which brought forth my name, the summoner, Syoukanshi. Maybe it was the desperation and bitter anger that triggered it but somehow, a giant gray wolf stood growling with it's tail facing me. It's form majestic and frightening at the same time. No more than how quickly it appeared, it disappeared. I heard myself screaming and before I could register what happened, Sensei had knocked me out.

Since the inception of the gray wolf summon, I was forced under the care of Sarutobi-sensei. I didn't have faith that he would take care of me. Having my parents murdered made me cynical at such a young age and I admit, I made Sensei's life a living nightmare. The kicking, the screaming, the biting among other things were tame. Slowly but surely, Sensei's smile and patience won me over. I quieted down and followed his instructions. No longer was I the impossible brat everybody steered away from. He trained me with a father's strictness and cared for me with a mother's warmth.

One day, he ordered me to sit with him and he tentatively pulled out a sword.

"Iruka, in my hands lay a wakizashi I have been meaning to give to you when the time was right," He smiled at me with the same smile I liked so much and gently placed her on my lap.

"Her name is Shinrai and just like her,_ trust_."

And I felt something I haven't in a long while, I felt hope.

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><p><strong>AN** : Here's chapter 2! I hope you guys like it. I will continue more in the next chapter, I don't want to spoil the moment. XD

Thanks to the people who subscribed to my story and everything but it would be nicer if you guys reviewed though. :DD

Then, I wouldn't feel so depressed. HAHA! XD

But nonetheless, Thank you so much for reading and yeah~


	3. The Feline

Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just use them in my sick fantasies.

**REPLIES! **

**Anon** : Thanks! Yeah, Iruka having to put up with Kakashi is tiring. :(

**ZANEradio**: Thank you for being so interested in my story! :DD Sorry this took like a month but many things happened. T_T

**Colz**: HAHA! I know right? Nobody can be that saint-like in the ninja world. :)

**iNsAnE nO bAkA**: HOHO~ It will go in all sorts of direction! Stay tuned yo! :DD

**ABundleOfDaydreams**: UPDATED! ^^ I hope I don't disappoint with the portrayal of his kick-ass ability.

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><p>I didn't see the big gray wolf after the incident at the hospital. Try as I might to try and summon it again, I couldn't do with my limited knowledge. Hence, I called it a fluke. When I asked Sarutobi-sensei what exactly happened back there, all he uttered was 'a summon'. I didn't press for answers and soon enough, I forgot about it. I focused my efforts on mastering the wakizashi Sensei entrusted to me. I went everywhere with Shinrai.<p>

Once, I bit a teacher in the academy for trying to make us separate. Thankfully, Sarutobi-sensei explained the situation to what was his name ... Tsubaki-sensei! I was socially inept at the time and nobody really wanted to be near me. I had an angry face most of the time. So, I became a misunderstood child. Tsubaki-sensei thought that I would have an emotional breakdown and go berserk so he wanted to take Shinrai away from me but he didn't understand that Shinrai was the one keeping me sane.

I felt at ease each time I trained with her. We were a common sight and pretty soon, the school kids got used to me with her and they ignored me. Some kids even started talking to me. It was not until the second year in the Academy when they started approaching me. It was all because of a certain Hime-chan who followed me one day to school.

You see, Hime-chan is as her name suggests- the princess of the Snow Leopard clan. I managed to summon her one day when I found my life threatened by a bunch of rotten bandits who thought they could take my sword and sell it. I tried to fight them but they were bigger and stronger than I was. I tried to cut them with Shinrai but they avoided it and soon, I was the one being cut. Screaming as the pain engulfed me, I felt something snapped inside of me before everything went dark. Til this day, I cannot fully recall what exactly happened but when I came to, I found myself snuggled comfortably in the soft fur of Hime-chan.

I couldn't move when I wanted to and I felt myself burning up. I must have lost too much blood because I felt so cold despite being protected by Hime's warmth. Right then, I thought I was on my way to meeting my parents in heaven. Looking to my left, I saw Shinrai lying next to me and I took her and huddled her close to me. With that, I drifted into sleep.

Suddenly, a loud roar pierced through my eardrums, waking me up from my slumber. Sharp pain shot through my body when my reflex caused me to move quickly and I moaned in agony. The pain was near unbearable and my breathing became laboured. I saw Hime crouching and growling in front of me as if she was ready to pounce; shielding me from whomever it was she thought was a foe.

I pushed myself to face the person Hime-chan was growling at. Squinting my eyes, I saw whom Hime-chan were growling at and to this day, I thanked my lucky stars my body reacted unconsciously. My eyes widened as I saw the face of my attacker; it was Sarutobi-sensei and a few Jounins! With strength I was sure I didn't have, I ran in his direction, turned around and with arms wide open, stared into the angry face of Hime-chans'.

I didn't know what overcame me but I knew I wasn't in danger. I stared down Hime-chan and she relented. She whined but soon eased. I released a sigh and hobbled to her to pat her. I giggled when she licked my dirty face. The face on the others was priceless when Hime-chan did that but soon relaxed when they saw she didn't mean harm and for the second time that day, I fainted.

Sarutobi-sensei was frowning when I woke up and I am reminded of the hospital incident when the huge gray wolf appeared but the only difference this time round was Hime-chan sleeping beside my hospital bed. I thought she had been another fluke but the frown on Sensei's face told me it was different. I knew something weird was happening to me and I got scared. Sensei sensed me panicking and was quick to calm me down before I end up losing control like the last time.

I rubbed my eyes, thinking Hime-chan was a figment of my imagination but she was there, yawning and stretching after a nap. My dark brown orbs met her green ones and she jumped from her spot on the floor to land on my chest, shrinking to the size of a kitten. I yelped in surprise but laughed as she licked my face again.

"_Iruka, after you have healed, meet me at the Hokage tower, I have something I want to tell you." Sensei smiled before leaving the room. _

Needless to say, I did meet him after my wounds healed.

"_Iruka, I think its time I train you in chakra control and the art of summoning."_

I remembered how estatic I felt when I heard that. I had always wanted to try pulling out a jutsu when I saw the other shinobis doing it but Sensei said I was too young.

"_Sensei, I thought I wasn't ready?" _

"_I have a feeling it's time." Sensei patted a purring Hime. _

Since then, Hime would appear next to me whenever I came calling or when she wanted to and that was how one day, I found her trailing after me in the Academy. I heard mewing and was pleasantly surprised to see her rubbing her head fondly against my leg. I sighed and picked her up; she can be so spoiled sometimes. I gave a disapproving look but she dismissed it with what I think was a feline version of an impish face and mewled cutely again. I giggled when she licked my cheek and I forgot all about my classmates looking at me.

I was embarassed but one by one, they came up to me in fascination of Hime-chan and talked to me! That was the happiest day of school for me and I am forever grateful to Hime-chan for it, not that she would let me forget it.

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><p>"Naruto! What did I tell you about leaving your dirty clothes lying around?" I scolded Naruto but he seemed unrepentant, playing with Hime-chan's little paws.<p>

"He's such a nagger, isn't he _Hime-channnnnn~_" Naruto sung to her.

I shared a look with her, if only Naruto knew she was not the typical cat and that she could be feisty when she wanted to. It has been countless times since she scratched me when I did something she didn't approve of. Yeap, Hime-chan is as haughty as any royalty could get.

Currently, Naruto is staying with me because his house got destroyed in the war. Frankly, his apartment wasn't any different before or after the damage, it looked like a hurricane swept through that place. I offered a place for Naruto to stay since he couldn't actually ask somebody else and the rest as they say, is history.

"You better release her Naruto before you get attacked. Hime-chan doesn't like to be played with." I warned him whilst picking up his clothes strewn everywhere on the floor.

"I won't, Hime-chan likes me~" There he went again, making the cat dance. He really has a death wish.

"_You aren't gonna scratch him your highness?" _I scoffed silently as I sent a telepathic message in my mind to Hime-chan.

"_No, I will let him amuse himself. He reminds me of a certain fox." _Her green eyes glittered sinisterly. Oh, I would not want to be at the receiving end of that look. The last time I did, Hime-chan made my life a living nightmare when she transform into me and slept around with men in the village and just because I quote, "it was funny." That week, I had to evade being groped by who I assumed was the guys Hime-chan slept with using my double. I had such a hard time explaining to those people that it wasn't me! It couldn't have been me, I was on a mission! Traumatic as it was, at least now I knew who preferred men. It was also around that time I found out I'm bisexual. I didn't mind being groped by those men but that didn't mean I liked it either.

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><p>It's three in the morning and I'm still tossing and turning. I tried the entire trick in the book to get myself sleepy but nothing worked! Frustrated, I tore off the blanket fiercely and jumped out of my window but before I did, Hime-chan mewed in annoyance. It looks like I disturbed her peaceful slumber when I rudely awakened her with all the fussing. I threw her an apologetic look before breathing myself fresh air outside the apartment.<p>

Walking alone at night gave me time to think. As I mindlessly walked, I started thinking about what Tsunade-sama said to me. Am I ready to do this? Then again, I don't a choice. I have pledged loyalty to Konoha. I thought I have long gotten past my other identity. After the death of Yoko, I vowed to never pick up Shinrai again and now, it seems like I have to. It hurts too much to look at her without remembering the tragic accident that had befallen Yoko those 5 years ago.

I was young and I felt on top of the world when I was appointed an A-class mission with Renji and Yoko on a 3-man team. Renji was the strategist of the team, always calculating and a step ahead of anyone. He is a great man, cheerful and a smile was always plastered on his face before the death of Yoko took away his friendly disposition and along with it, his sense of living. Yoko had been Renji's fiancée and they were planning to get married after that mission which saw Yoko's untimely death.

I hold back tears as I recalled Yoko's last dying moment.

As I drowned in a sea of regrets, I didn't realize where I was walking towards.

"Iruka-sensei?" I heard a deep voice called my name.

I searched for the said voice in the darkness and my eyes focused on the shock of silver hair so evidently glowing in the night backdrop, "Kakashi?"

"I see you have dropped the 'kun'. Good for you," Kakashi had that eye-smile on him again.

Shit! I was supposed to not let that slip. I merely let out a dry laugh in reply.

"What brings you here in this ungodly hour? I'm pretty sure it's past your bedtime Iruka-sensei. Aren't you supposed to set a good example to your students, sensei?" My eyebrow twitched. Why did he like to piss me off so much?

"I'm more shocked to see you doing something. What exactly are you doing Kakashi-san?" I asked, trying to be polite. Getting angry will not do me good now.

"As you can see, I'm repairing a damaged house or have your perfect eyesight suddenly failed you sensei?" Kakashi said while putting bricks back where they were once were.

I decided to let that snide remark go, "Why now?"

"Because I want to," Came the monotonous reply from Mr. Lazy-eye himself.

"Right. Like anybody will believe that. You of all people would rather sleep at this hour than do some manual labour in the dead of the night. Did Tsunade-sama send you here for all the days you missed with my class?" I crossed my arms and fumed, suddenly remembering the consecutive days he didn't show up at the shelter.

Kakashi stopped at my reply but continued working after shaking his head slightly. His response confuses me but before I could ask what he meant by that, he turned his head to face me and said, "Why don't you run along and get your beauty sleep sensei. We wouldn't want eye-bags underneath those eyes now would we?"

Oh Hatake Kakashi, how you infuriate me!

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><p><strong>AN:** I know this took like a month but thank you for those who commented! C:

This really means a lot to me so I'm glad you guys feel like its worthwhile to read. :))

Reality is harsh for me right now so I hope you guys review and tell me what I can improve on. I welcome constructive criticism.


	4. The Mission

Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just use them in my sick fantasies.

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><p><strong>REPLIES:<strong>

**Colz : **Thank you for the enthusiastic comment! Jounin exam will have to wait a bit longer but please do enjoy chapter 4 first! :D

**iNsAnE nO bAkA** : HAHA! XD good to know your cat is like Hime~  
>You're right, Iruka is a master summoner but I think it would be for another reason, you will find out soon, HOHO~<br>Oblivious!Iruka is oblivious! But what if Kakashi is just as bad? :B

**ZANEradio:** Thank you for understanding. :  
>\*w* Yes, Iruka is a summoner, but a slightly different one. *wink*  
>I hope I do kicking-ass Iruka justice, seriously. T_T Tell me what you think after reading this chapter. :)<br>Don't worry, I won't make Iruka overload on power. He's going to make mistakes alright. LOL. ^^

**mp . rago : **THANK YOU! :DD

**diff-r-ent-1 : **Awww, thank you for loving this fic. 3 /hugs.  
>I read that too I think but it's going to be different than that, Iruka's summoning. Look forward to it! C:<p>

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><p>Why the long face Iruka?" Tsunade-sama eyed me the moment I entered her office. I frowned, I thought I had my emotions in check. She is one scary lady to be able to single my anger out.<p>

"Kakashi pisses me off," Tsunade-sama froze and stopped what she was doing, turned and stared at me as though I had gained an extra head and suddenly ended up bursting out in loud laughter. In turn, I looked at her as though she has grown another head. I shivered at my mental image; one Tsunade-sama is more than sufficient for Konoha.

"You never fail to surprise me Iruka," Tsunade-sama grinned at me after she stopped laughing, her face flushed from laughing too hard.

"What do you mean?" I inquired curiously.

"It means you betray my expectations ... in a good way of course." Tsunade added the last few words for good measure while still keeping a mix of a smirk and grin the only way she knows how plastered on her face.

Not wanting to dwell further into the matter, I decided to change the topic of conversation.

"Tsunade-sama, when are the Jounin exams taking place? I don't think I can work together with Kakashi any longer. He makes my blood boil." I heaved out a long sigh and pinched my temple, easing out a headache.

"Oh come on Iruka, he isn't that bad. Even though he does everything on his own pace, he gets the job done," Tsunade-sama laughed.

"I rarely see him do anything to help and worse of all, I see him reading that disgusting book in front of the children! It's bad influence! Just yesterday, he didn't even show up in the afternoon to help." I crossed my arms.

Tsunade just looked at me and smiled as if she knew something I don't, "I heard from him that he saw you wandering around at night yesterday?"

"...Yeah?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I recently made him take up a mission and he just came back two days ago. I told him to take a rest but he insisted he did something. Therefore, when you saw him yesterday, he was actually helping with the reconstruction of the fallen buildings.

I felt guilt bubbling in my gut. Was I wrong about Kakashi? Have I misjudged him all this while?

"Kakashi may not be a role model for children but if you get to know him, you will find him to be a decent guy," Tsunade-sama looked at me emphatically and continued reading her paperwork. Well, that certainly did not help with my guilt. Should I take up on her suggestion and get to know him better? Should I apologize?

"But speaking of the Jounin exam, I was actually thinking about holding it next month. I think that with the progress we have made with the destruction, we would be able to get a move on with the plan. I would have the file of candidates sent to you by next week. Feel free to tell me if you disagree with any of the candidates listed. I'm sure _you _would know, Iruka-sensei." Tsunade-sama motioned me to get out of her office and with a quick bow, I was out of the room.

"Hime-chan, do you think I was too harsh on Kakashi?" I turned to Hime-chan who is currently lazing around on the sofa with one eye peeping at me while the rest stayed hidden behind her front paws.

She hesitantly got up and crawled to me, with her tail swishing from side to side. She jumped onto my lap and curled up against my stomach. Even though she doesn't say it, this was her way of saying 'cheer up' to me.

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><p>"Are you feeling guilty because you misjudged him or because you're too nice and feel guilty because you were mean to him? Either ways, you shouldn't apologize because he was acting like a prick." Hime-chan said nonchalantly. She has always been the rational one between the both of us. In many ways, she is the parent I didn't have.<p>

"I don't know," I half-whined.

Lately, I have been feeling more down than up. So many emotions are running through me right now. With Kakashi, the Jounin exam, the past, it's a lot to take and I felt that it was time for me to talk to somebody else besides my cat. With that mindset, I gently picked Hime-chan up by her stomach and laid her down on the sofa, taking along the keys on the table after.

"I'll be back." I reassured Hime, her eyes fiercely watching my every move.

"I still don't know why you still keep him around but bring that mutt with you." Hime-chan exposed her sharp canines as she yawned.

"It's been 14 years, why can't you two get along?" I shook my head pleadingly at her.

"Because he smells like _dog._" She said it while scrunching up her nose as if it insults her every being.

"Sorry to disappoint _princess _but I _am_ a dog." Right on cue, a huge grayish-white patch of fur moved beside me and growled at Hime. She just purred arrogantly in challenge.

"And I, a princess," With one leap, Hime jumped and landed niftily in front of Yuu, teasingly sliding her tail against him before disappearing into the balcony.

"Don't," I warned him. Yuu glared at me but did nothing else.

Suddenly, the jingling of keys was heard as somebody tried to open the door. Yuu immediately sank down and vanished through the floor as abruptly as he had come. I crouched slightly and held a jutsu at the tip of my tongue, preparing for any unwelcomed guest. The door opened to reveal Naruto in his bright, tacky jumpsuit. I heaved a sigh of quick relief and smiled at him. For a moment, I had forgotten I wasn't the only person living in the house now but the spontaneous need to defend has been deep instilled in me I found it second-nature.

"Ah, Naruto, I'm going out for awhile. There's food in the fridge and if you need anything, ask Hime-chan. She will know what to do." I ruffled his hair and slipped on my jacket, it was chilly tonight. Naruto just nodded in reply.

"Where are you going?" Naruto asked casually.

"To Asumas'." As I shut the front door, I could see Naruto's bewildered expression and chuckled. Oh Naruto, don't ever change.

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><p>I tucked my hands deeper into the pockets of my jacket as I tried to get more warmth through my body the night cruelly deprived me of. I shivered and walked faster to Asumas' apartment, a small house situated in the heart of Konoha. Coincidentally, not far from mine either. Just as I was about to knock on the wooden door, it opened and I was greeted by an equally shocked Kurenai-san. I looked at the door number again to check if I had gotten the right house. Yeap, positive. There is even a carved smoking pipe on the door. We stared at each other as awkward silence filled the air.<p>

"..Iruka-san ... I was just on my way out. Have a good evening," Kurenai-san smiled politely and excused herself.

"G-good evening to you too Kurenai-san," Bowing slightly, I replied her.

"Oh hey Iruka. What are you doing here?" Asuma appeared from behind the door in his casual clothing, a plain shirt and shorts, and a quintessential cigarette precariously balancing between his lips.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Sure, come in,"

I took off my shoes and stepped into the house, drinking in how bare the house was. There's the usual coffee table and sofa opposite the television set. The house wasn't actually furnished, well, it was expected of a bachelor's house but seeing how Kurenai-san was coming out of the house suspiciously, things might change I gleefully thought. Asuma came out of the kitchen with two cans of beer and handed one to me. I accepted it with thanks and sat on the clean floor, taking off my jacket as the heater was on.

As I sat on the floor, I noticed the humongous amount of cigarette butts mounting in the ashtray, "Please don't tell me that's a day's worth of smoking," I said distastefully.

"No, it's not a day's worth," He laughed, "It's two days."

"That's just as bad," I frowned.

"There's a lot on my mind lately. Did Tsunade-sama say anything to you about the Jounin exam?" He took a seat beside me and sipped on his beer.

"She did. She wants me to be an examiner." I took a gulp and said the last part in a smaller voice. Mostly because the doubts I had came back to me.

"Is that a bad thing?" He asked.

"... As Syoukanshi." Asuma stilled but did not comment. Instead, he lighted up another cigarette.

He looked deep in thought, "Are you ready to go down that path again?"

Asuma was like a brother to me growing up. He accepted me for who I am and got along fine with Hime and Yuu. Since his father was Sarutobi-sensei, we met often at his house and it led to doing training together. He was also there when I was emotionally unstable from my teammates' death. Growing up, I was and still am in some ways an introvert. When I'm upset, he would just appear and offer silent help to me by sitting beside me. Asuma was never pressing and he knows how much his presence meant to me so, he stayed and we would just watch the clouds until Sensei called us back. He was a pillar of support for me; the Sarutobis had and always will be a huge part of my life.

"..It terrifies me. The thought of being who I was before, being that person again. What if I make a mistake and something terrible happens like with ... them?" I focused on the beer can label, finding it suddenly fascinating.

Asuma folded his arms and closed his eyes, his eyebrows frowning at the same time; the face he would make when he was contemplating something. I took another sip of the beer and tried to let my thoughts clear.

"You don't," Asuma spoke slowly.

"Sorry?"

"You don't know if you're gonna make a mistake or not. Whatever happened with Yoko and Renji weren't entirely your fault. Sure, you were their leader but as a team, everybody plays a part. One mistake was all that took for a shinobi's death and Yoko knew that. She was just as complacent as you were when you were going after the Fuzaki Brothers. She let her guard down and she was bitten, "I winced at the unveiled honesty in Asuma's words, "And you lost control when you saw her lying in a pool of blood. If it weren't for you that night, the whole team could have died. Renji was too shocked to react and you protected him from A-class criminals. Look, all I'm saying is that you did what you could. Don't be too hard on yourself alright?" Asuma's tone of voice softens and he patted my shoulder as a sign of comfort.

I dwelled on Asuma's words.

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><p>[FLASHBACK]<p>

"The brothers aren't far from our trail! Formation 2!" Renji shouted from his position in front of Yoko and me. The three of us had spent the last four sleepless days tracking the Fuzaki Brothers and finally, we had been able to lure them into the forest where unnecessary casualties could be avoided.

We could barely hear him over the heavy thunderstorm that blinded us in both sight and sound. Sure, we were an ANBU team but we were threading water in a place foreign. To make matters worse, the fog made the visibility of the forest nearly nonexistent, all we could rely on were the skills we had. From here onward, I knew we had to hope for the best. I looked left to Yoko and she nodded before we panned out formation 2. In the shape of a triangle, Yoko jumped and landed on a thick branch over our heads. She disappeared into the shadows, doing what she did best, genjutsu.

Renji took a fighting stance beside me, two blades held firm in his hands. I felt the chakra of the Fuzaki brothers getting stronger and soon, we were face to face with them. With Shinrai in my hand and summons at my will, I struck first. The heavy clang of metal on metal were heard vividly as I exchanged blows with one of the brothers, Daiki Fuzaki. His red hair made his presence obvious and for some reason, I was confident this would be an easy fight. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Renji furiously attacking the other brother, Daisuke Fuzaki. They were both evenly matched. Renji's rapid slices were countered with Daisuke's agile reflexes.

This continued for a few minutes with no prominent results on both sides. I landed some cuts but they were far from fatal and vice versa. I felt my chakra levels draining fast and I realized they were only prolonging the battle, not finishing it! My gut constricted at the look in the brothers eyes as they smiled.

"Renji! They're doing this on purpose! Do not fall for it!" I shouted and was getting ready to change tactics. I sheathed Shinrai and jumped far away, my hands forming seals for _Kekkai Ninjutsu_, a barrier to shield on any attacks I might have a blind-spot to. My chakra was getting lower fast and I needed to use it wisely. Creating a barrier was the lowest chakra consuming technique I had for defending. My stationary summons I was holding at bay was taking up my chakra so I let them go.

By then, I knew our energies were lost to the procrastinating back and forth blows between those stupid brothers and us. In retrospect, I shouldn't have taken a glimpse back at Yoko but I was concern. Usually, she would have already given us the signal for her genjutsu but she hadn't. As I did a back-flip I saw a very confused expression on her face.

"Yoko! Is it time yet?" I wanted the fight to end soon; it was taking a lot from my body.

"I don't know what's wrong! It's not working!" Yoko's voice was bordering panic.

Right then, the brothers had the widest sickening grin on their faces and in a moment of haphazardness, Daiki appeared close to me, his eyes with no colour in them and with his sword taking on an evolved shape, I knew if I took that, I would die. His grin got bigger and I was ready to unsheathed Shinrai again but suddenly, the brothers changed course and I was faced with a charging Daisuke instead. Daiki's eyes were never betraying before he pulled the crazy stunt and as a result, I was taken aback and so was Renji. The lack of sleep was messing with both of Renji's head and mine and we stood rooted for 5 seconds, watching stunned as our respective enemies in a speed of lightning tried to land a killing blow to the both of us.

However, something was not sitting right, I could feel it. Just as I was about to counterattack, Daiki bit his thumb and pulled a summoning jutsu. A flash of smoke appeared and I saw a shadow shooting across my head. My eyes widen and fear coursed through me. Shit! I cursed under my breath and in the next slash, put my body weight into a heavy blow and managed to fend off Daisuke for the moment. If my instinct was right, this could be really bad. Doubling my speed with the little chakra I had left, I prayed to reach Yoko in time, the creature was fast approaching Yoko and everything went downhill when it got Yoko before I did. That thing bit her and it sent her spiraling down three storeys down the tree. Amidst the rain, her body falling with a thud was heard clearly.

"You wanna know why we aren't affected by that pathetic girl's childish tricks?" The brothers stopped their aggression to cry out maniacally, "WE'RE BLIND!" They stood with arms around each other's neck and their laughter doubled.

Blood roared in my head and in the distant, I heard the heartbreaking scream of a lover. Numb, my mind made no sense to my body. Adrenaline took over me and I fell victim to a sporadic trance. When I regained my vision, my body was covered in blood and the pungent smell of rusty iron made my stomach curl. My body felt cold to touch and everywhere ached. I looked to my left to see Renji cradling a pale-stricken Yoko who had purple lips and blue veins obviously protruding out on her skin; she had been poisoned to death. Her body didn't react fast enough to produce an antidote to nullify the poison in her body.

"She's not breathing. Why aren't you breathing?" Renji's voice croaked out as he tapped her face lightly.

Renji's body was shaking furiously from his violent sobbing. My heart constricted at the sight of a dear friend and teammate dying in battle while the had just lost so much more; a lover, friend and family. That was who she was to Renji. I couldn't stop the hot tears from streaming down my face and I too sobbed like a baby as the rain drowned the sound of our agony.

As the rain settled, so did our tears. Renji laid down beside Yoko and hugged her cold body close to him as he whispered a lullaby she loved in her ears. Yuu emerged in front of me in the form of a puppy, whimpering in sympathy for me.

"What happened?" My voice was sore.

"Your brain shut off and suddenly we were drawn to the sorrow and rage we felt coming from you, your pure killing intent drove us into frenzy." Yuu explained mentally and licked the wounds on my face.

"What happened to the brothers? Did they escape?" My mind panicked.

"Relax, they got what was coming for them."

"They're dead huh." I breathed out slowly.

"Hime called for Sarutobi-sensei's assistance. Rest Iruka." My eyelid grew heavier and heavier and I drifted to sleep.

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><p>Everything from then on was hazy. I remember waking up in the hospital covered in bandages. If I weren't sleeping, I was dazing around with half a brain. Everything seemed so surreal due to the painkillers they made me took. I could recall the whispering of familiar voices. I think it was Sarutobi-sensei and maybe Asuma? I wasn't sure. I was sedated heavily and then there was the funeral. So many emotions to feel and I got confused. Renji became withdrawn and when I went to his hospital ward to talk to him, he always had this deranged look in his eyes that scared me. Only on the day that Yoko was supposed to be cremated did Renji have some life in him. He cried and pushed everyone who tried to come near him, including me and hugged her picture tightly, not wanting to let go. He would not eat or sleep, he was like a living corpse. Around that time, I just felt so tired, fatigued, mentally and physically.<p>

After the funeral, I was discharged from the hospital. I headed straight home and went to bed with tears in my eyes. Sensei came to see me the day after with condolences. I thanked him and offered him tea. He looked at me gravely and slowly but gently muttered, "Take this time to recuperate and when you're ready, I'll be here to accept you with open arms." I hugged him tightly.

I hid myself in the house, looking at photographs of Yoko and my parents. Sometimes, Asuma comes in with food but I barely touched it. When I asked about Renji, Asuma said he was drugged and forced to stay in the hospital in case he goes crazy and I let the matter go. Time drifted by a week or so, I wasn't certain but the next visitor had brought me something I wished I hadn't seen, the contents made me nauseated.

Dear Iruka,

_By the time you read this, I'm already on my way to meet my beloved Yoko. Everywhere I turn, I see her and what we could have become and it drives me mad. I feel myself dying inside when I reach out to her and she's not there. Life has no meaning to me now and I know that I will be better off with Yoko in heaven. Please forgive me for doing this Iruka, I do not wish to see you sad but I simply cannot endure this mental torture anymore. I'm afraid the future holds nothing for me and for that, I have to do this. You are like family to me so please do not blame yourself for my decision. Please understand and I hope you find solace in this letter. Do not forget us and know that we will always be watching you from above__._

_Renji. _

As I read the letter, I felt bile rising up to my mouth and my eyes blurred, tears streamed down my face endlessly. The pounding in my head got louder and heavier. That was the last straw, I broke down wailing in deep sorrow for Yoko, for Renji and for myself. I felt so useless and miserable and just when I thought I couldn't take the mental strain anymore, Hime held me, comforting me and crushing me in a tight embrace, whispering words to calm me down. I cried more than I have ever cried before and clung on to Hime for dear life. I don't know how long that went on but I knew I passed out from exhaustion. If it weren't for Hime, Yuu and Asuma, I think I just had might lost it completely and followed Renji.

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><p><strong>[PRESENT]<strong>

"Don't worry, you'll be fine as an examiner. I will be there to stop you if anything goes wrong." Asuma laughed and saw me to the door.

I relaxed and flashed a wry smile to him, "Thanks."

"By the way, do you know who else's going to be an examiner?" Asuma eyes glinted with glee.

"Hatake Kakashi."

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><p><strong>AN:**

I'm backkkkkk! XD  
>Well, I haven't updated in nearly two months. urgh, so sorry guys. bows.  
>Please comment on the 'fighting' scene. I need to know if it was okay or it can be improved. What you like and don't like about it and I will try to change so that it's not cringe-worthy. It was my first time writing a fighting scene like that and I know I need to do better next time so that I do Iruka, syoukanshi-san justice.<p>

About the 'suicide note' , I tried searching for real ones and I finally know who Kurt Cobain is. I feel so fail. When I asked my brother, he side-eyed me. ;A;  
>But really, is the story making sense to you readers? Is the emotions put in right? I'm OCD like that.<p>

SO, less babbling from me obviously. Thank you for those who commented on my previous chapter and the story. When I had a writer's block, I read it back and it gave me motivation. ^^

Thank you and please Read & Review! :DD 3


	5. The Stayover

Disclaimer: I don't own them, if I did, I would have already killed off Sasuke.

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><p><strong><span>REPLIES! :D<span>**

**ABundleOfDaydreams :**

Thank you for commenting! :D  
>I hope you're still willing to read this despite it being 2 months now. ;A;<br>I am such a failure as an author I swear. T_T

**ZANEradio** :

Thank your for being excited over Iruka's ability! :DD  
>Kakashi is a complex individual. After this chapter, he Iruka will continue to be confused about him. HAHA! XD<p>

I personally think it's those people who have suffered who comes back stronger. So, we'll see how badass Iruka is now. :3  
>Thank you again for reading and commenting constantly!<p>

**anon :**

Thanks for commenting! XD  
>It's good that this story is intriguing~<p>

**maethebellydancer : **

Thank you for the review~  
>YAYYYYY! I'M NOT SUCH A FAILURE AFTERALL! AWESOME~ XD<p>

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><p>I woke up to a rainy Sunday morning, just like how I like it. Typically, I would be up and about at 7am but with yesterday's conversation with Asuma, I felt indulgent and closed my eyes to sleep in. The next I woke up, it was to Hime meowing in my ear. I knew she didn't actually have to eat but if she wanted to, she could have easily taken it herself. I rolled my eyes and got up anyways. I gave her a knowing look but she seemed indifferent. Lazy cat, I grumbled to myself. With my eyes straining itself to crack open, I stumbled out of bed and dragged my feet in boxer shorts and an old shirt. Looking at the clock on the way out of the door, it was only nine. I knew my body clock wouldn't let me sleep longer.<p>

I knew my way around the house even with both eyes closed so imagine how shocked I was when I tripped over something and fell flat on my face. Groaning I pushed myself up slowly from the floor and with a sharper mind, I finally smelt it.

"Naruto! What are you doing?" I was horrified. The kitchen was a mess! The smell of charred meat was insulting to my nose the floor was littered with cracked egg shells, orange peels, bowls an is that butter?

"Sorry Iruka, I wanted to make breakfast for you," Naruto just looked at me sheepishly and scratched his head awkwardly. I observed the state he was in – clothes had something spilled on it, his fingers had cute cartoon plasters and his face had flour on them.

I sighed an looked at Naruto fondly. I couldn't stay mad at him. If he's trying to cook anything more than instant noodles, I say it's an accomplishment. I hugged him tightly when I saw the blush creeping on his face.

"Oh Naruto, I appreciate you trying to cook but next time, let me handle it okay?" I laughed when I saw him giving me those doe eyes.

I took a deep breath of determination and tied my hair up, "What do you feel like eating today?"

Naruto was about to say something I knew I wouldn't agree on, so I cut him to the chase.

"Besides Ramen?" And I gave him a pointed look.

"Erm, Ramen?"

"Okay, we will have miso soup with grilled fish then." Naruto pouted but didn't rebut.

"Why don't you clean up and I will start cooking? That way, you can atone for trying to burn the house down," I ruffled his hair and carried on to prepare breakfast.

Naruto sulked as he picked up the egg shells. I know he means well but the only food Naruto had perfected over the years is the art of cooking cup noodles. I know he feels bad for staying under my roof and trying to do this was his way of repaying mr but honestly, having him in my life is already a blessing for me, no matter how much the people Konoha might differ. I reasoned it's because we're kindred spirits.

I remember the first time I met him, he was crying alone.

**[FLASHBACK]**

I felt weary and I just wanted to go home and take a long hot shower to wash off the blood and filth off of me; a reminder of the traitor I rid of an hour ago. My body ached from the wounds during battle but I trudged on despite my fatigue. Along the way home, I will pass the playground and looking at my watch, I knew it was midnight.

My ear twitched at a sound that was coming in the direction of the playground. I pushed aside my tiredness and I had my guards up. Warily, I stalked towards it. As I came closer, the sound got clearer and I realized it was the sound of someone sobbing. Question was, who was it? Crying at this ungodly hour at the playground out of all places.

I was curious so I went nearer but I stopped when I thought of how horrible and scary I must look in my Syoukanshi uniform. So, I turned around to head home.

"Who is it?" The voice was small and filled with sorrow.

I cursed myself for being detected. I knew I had the choice of just getting out of there but I couldn't leave a poor soul out here. I sighed and decided it was now use hiding. To my utter surprise, I found a 10 year old Naruto rubbing hot tears away from his swollen eyes, a telltale sign telling me that this has been going on for quite awhile and his small self on the swing with thin clothing on his body.

I knew what people called him – demon, monster, good-for-nothing. However, I never did have time to think about him so I never had an impression of him. My life is hectic as it is and yet here I am, taken in by a child whom the village hated. Right then, I got an impression – a pitiful orphan much like myself. I remembered seeing the report how how Sensei is sponsoring his living expenses because no orphanage wanted to take him in.

"Who are you?" He seemed unfazed by the dried blood splattered on my clothes and the smell of death on me.

"Aren't you afraid?" I stood rooted, not moving an inch towards him.

"No. You're the nicest person to me today. You're not scolding harshly to me, no one ever speak nicely to me except for Sandaime-sama," Naruto sniffled but smiled wryly at me.

I felt my heart broke a little. How could this innocent child have anything to do with the death of so many villagers? No, it isn't him, it's the wretched demon they forced into him.

"Why are you crying?" I walked towards him and looked for any sign of fright from me walking towards him. He showed no reaction so I continued until I took a seat beside him on the empty swing.

"You're willing to listen?" He looked at me in wonder with eyes which told of wisdom beyond his adolescence.

I nodded in affirmation and a small smile appeared on his cherub face. Then he averted his eyes. I noticed his eyes were glazed over as he recalled and reveled in his sea of emotions. His back more crestfallen and he breathed out a sigh, "I'm tired ... and lonely."

The words he used were fairly simple but I knew it meant so much more. I didn't anything in reply, urging him to continue.

"Why me? All I do is walk down the streets to buy sweets and they're beating me and shooing me away. They look at me angrily and I feel very sad when it happens but I swear I never did anything bad!" Naruto's voice hitched and his eyes started to water again.

I sympathized with him. What the villagers are doing is giving him blind hate and it irks me to see Naruto being punished for a matter he did not have a choice in.

I doubted Naruto could see the huge frown I had through my mask right now, "Sometimes, people can be mean." Naruto stopped wiping snot and tears away from his eyes and stared at me intently. The way he looks at me, as though I'm bringing salvation to him, I felt obliged to explain further, "They say hurtful things because they're afraid or because they're ignorant."

Then I remembered I was talking to a 10 year old and he may not understand but when I turned to him and saw him dwelling on my words, I knew he understood and this once again surprised me about him. He is definitely not what the villages depicted him to be.

"Ignorant refers to people who ... doesn't understand the truth ... r-right?"

I nodded.

"But I tried greeting them every morning and smiling each time I pass them but they still say mean things to me!"

"It takes time to make people like you." I sighed, my fatigue creeping up again, probably from engaging in such a depressing topic.

Naruto looked like he was about to burst into tears and I never really knew how to comfort a crying soul. Usually, I will be the one being comforted. I snorted at the memory.

"But you wanna know a secret Naruto-kun?" I saw a glimmer of hope surfacing in his eyes.

"You have to make the villagers respect you and only then will they no longer call you names." I winked at him, "Because when the world push you hard, you push back harder." Naruto Looked at me in awe.

"I'm gonna be the hokage!" his voice was filled with excitement.

I laughed in spite of myself to his sudden declaration. This boy will never fail to surprise me.

"Why suddenly the Hokage?" Amused, I asked him.

"Because everybody respect the Sandaime and they don't make fun of him!" Naruto's bright smile was infectious and I couldn't help but to smile along.

I wanted to encourage him somehow, make him feel wanted, _special, _because I knew how it feels to have nobody there when you need it. However, more than that, I know the feeling of having somebody there who believes in you. I decided then to give him one of my charms from my bracelet.

I took out a crescent-shaped charm and gave it to him. I had the bracelet full of charms as a memento from my father who gave me a charm to be added to my bracelet every year on my birthday. Just a few days after they died, I started throwing everything that reminded of my parents on impulse but this, I just couldn't.

Naruto's eyes lighted up with unadulterated joy when I push the charm from my hand to his. He looked down from his palm, to me and to his palm again.

"F..fo-..for me?" He held it precariously in his hands as though it was the most precious thing to him and I knew this gift will mean as much to him as it did me. I nodded in affirmation to his question and his big eyes got bigger. He threw the most blinding smile at me.

"Thank you so much!" Naruto jumped out of his seat to hug me. I froze for a minute but reciprocated.

"I'm dirty."

"It's fine." And Naruto hugged me tighter.

"I want you to promise me something," Naruto looked up at me with those liquid blue eyes of his, "I want you to promise never to forget me and when in doubt, look at the charm and tell yourself, I believe in you. I won't be seeing you again, Naruto, for many years or even never but promise me you won't cry anymore. Promise me that you will be stronger and maybe when you're the Hokage, we will meet again." Naruto held his tears in and nodded vigorously as I said this. I smiled and with another hug, I left for home.

**[PRESENT.]**

After Naruto's fail of a breakfast, I managed to whip out something easy and quick and we ate in peace. By then, it was already nearing lunch. Naruto was going on and on about the tales of team 7. Even after they graduated and became Chunnins, Naruto still referred Sasuke and Sakura as Team 7. I found it cute. Naruto spoke of Kakashi and I inwardly cringe at the name. Nevertheless, I just listened and input my comment sporadically.

The morning went by fast and before I knew it, Naruto was out of the door to train and I was alone. However, he turned back and told me he was sleeping over at Sasukes'. Okay, time to do work! I sat down on my couch and took the file given to me for the Jounin exam.

I flipped open and the first page brought a smile to my face. It was a profile of Naruto. Seeing how the first picture he took for the academy was with his face painted with, I say Naruto's grown. I can easily say he's quite the looker now. No longer the annoying brat the villagers feared, he's now respected. He's well on his way to become Hokage now. After the Jounin exam in which I have complete faith in him, the rest would be a breeze.

I studied the picture; Naruto's baby fats were gone and in it's place came the defined jawline and high cheekbones. Blue eyes just like his father, which complemented his blond hair. As I looked closely, I saw the charm I gave him in the form of a necklace resting snugly on his chest and I felt warmth spread through me.

Oh how you have matured Naruto.

I browsed through the other candidates' profile.

We had Sasuke, Neji, Tenten, Hinata, Kiba and the rest were people I didn't recognize, most probably because I didn't teach them. As for the rest of them, they already had their Jounin rank. People like Sasuke and Naruto didn't make it in for the previous batch of students for the examination because they were out training all over the other nations; Naruto with Jiraiya and Sasuke with that Kakashi.

I sighed. Having to create a practical exam is going to be stressful since I had to create one that targets their weaknesses and at the same time test their ability to adapt under immense pressure. It is very taxing and thus Jounin exams come but only once every two years. Unfortunately, for me, I had to do this one. I have not done this again in years.

I was deep in thought until the doorbell snapped me out of it. I was puzzled, who could be coming here at this bizarre hour. Usually, I would have visitors at night or they would have called beforehand. I shrugged and went to open the door. I got a rude shock when I saw Kakashi standing at the other side of the door.

"Hello Sensei." Kakashi gave a slight bow.

"...H-Hello to you too." I stammered a reply.

"Aren't you going to let me in?"

"W-Why?" I didn't mean to be rude. I was just really curious and shocked.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at me, "I was assigned to create the practical together with you. Didn't Tsunade-sama inform you about it?"

"..N-no, she did no such thing. But nevertheless, do come in since you're already here and I was just going over the candidate's file."

"Then you would be very proud of Naruto then?" This Kakashi seems nice today.

"Yes, of course."

"Right, so on with the agenda."

I was wary of Kakashi since I'm not particularly fond of him but since Hime did tell me to give him a chance, I should. Therefore, I gave him the benefit of a doubt. Things soon picked up when we started discussing the matter at hand with severity. I was genuinely surprised to see Kakashi focused. Papers with scribbles on it were strewn everywhere and before I knew it, the sun gave way to the moon. We were so immersed, we didn't realize it was already midnight.

I stifled a yawn and looked at Kakashi, he is showing no sign of fatigue. My energy seems to be sapped quite easily nowadays. Previously, I could go days without sleep but now, I wouldn't last 2 days. Maybe this is an indication I might be aging and wasting away from all the teaching and no mission. After Sensei died, I didn't go back to being Syoukanshi. I felt as if that part of me died along with him.

"Do you want to continue this Iruka-Sensei?" Kakashi's voice broke the silence and my reverie.

"Yes. The sooner we finish this the better." My eyes were already drooping but I was determined to get it done and over with.

I groaned when I shifted myself and my body ached. I turned and hit something solid. It didn't feel like a wall but it felt similar. Instead of opening my eyes to see, I let my hands touch this 'object' instead.

My eyes flew open in shock when my mind registered whatever I was touching as a face. I had been touching Kakashi's masked face! What am I doing with him? How did we end up in this position? I muffled a shriek and my face turned tomato red when I realized I had been using his arm as my pillow!

I felt absolutely embarrassed!

The last thing I remembered before I slept was drafting out the proposal. Moreover, I was so determined to not fall asleep! I stood up in haste and picked up the papers on the table before trying to get the hell out of there.

However, before I could take a step forward, I found myself in the strong arms of Kakashi. My instant reflex was to struggle my way out of his embrace but that made the grip tighter and I could feel his moist breathe next to ear, where his chin touched my shoulder. My face got hotter and I felt like bursting into flames right now but I could not escape.

"Good morning." Kakashi's baritone voice sounded hoarse with sleep and I suppressed a yelp.

"Can you _please_ release me?" My own voice sounded desperate to me. Screw my strength right now, it's useless.

"Why should I? Yesterday was fun and you looked pretty darn cute sleeping next to me. You know what, I think I like that Iruka-sensei. He's so kawaii." Kakashi chuckled and teased with his words.

My embarassment leveled up and I just want to crawl into a hole and die. Finally, this time when I struggled, he let me go.

"I di-didn't even know how that happened so just d-drop it and pretend it didn't happen." I stammered.

"Oh, but how could I? That was the kindest you've been to me." Kakashi came nearer to me, "say, how about we share a night together, I don't know about you but I definitely could use some stress relief."

Something snapped in me. How dare he proposition me like that! Does he think I'm some loose woman he could use and toss aside after a night together? And for what? STRESS-RELIEF! The nerve of this man! In an instant, I no longer felt embarrassed but insulted and angry. My face tightened and I clenched my jaw to restrain the small part of myself that wants to maul him like a tiger. To think that I was beginning to like this asshole.

"GET. OUT." I pointed harshly at the door and threw daggers at him with my eyes.

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><p><strong><span>AN: **

And that my friends was an update after 2 months. OTL  
>I seriously will try to update once every 2 weeks seriously from now on but sometimes, real life doesn't allow me to or no plot comes to mind. :  
>I want to thank the loyal readers who reviewed and for those silent readers who has been reading since the beginning. Of course, new readers are awesome too~<br>The reviews really motivates me in more ways than one and I cannot say how grateful I am to you guys.

With that said and done, please tell me if my characters gets too OCC and if there's any discrepancies in the story so far.

Cheers.


	6. The Meeting

**DISCLAIMER:** Don't own Naruto. Like I said in the previous chapter, if I did own it, I would have killed off Sasuke.

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><p><strong>REPLIES:<strong>

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><p>Tsunade cleared her voice and the meeting room quietened immediately, you could hear a pin drop. We were all seated in a long circular table chatting amongst ourselves while waiting for Tsunade-sama.<p>

I saw some of the bewildered and condescending looks the Jounins were throwing at me; those whom I have not talked to or I do not know. They were probably wondering what I was doing here with them since this was a meeting for this discussion of the Jounin exams.

Of course, I ignored them and just talked to Asuma and Kurenai-san. Kakashi was there too but since the last incident a few days ago, we didn't discuss it or rather, I have been avoiding him like plague. He really insulted me this time and I may have lost many things but dignity was not one of them.

"How's working with him?" Asuma grinned at me.

"Who?"

"Kakashi of course," His grin got bigger.

My mood dropped drastically, "I don't wanna talk about it." Asuma grunted and dropped the subject; he knew it bothered me.

"I have looked over the proposal given to me by all of you. I must say this year we have some very interesting concept ahead of us. Now, for this year, I'm thinking about three rounds instead of the usual one-on-one." Tsunade-sama looked pleased with herself.

"What do you suggest Tsunade-sama?" Kurenai-san voiced out.

"I've read the proposal and decided to go with three rounds this year. It will distract the villagers from the rut we've been in lately. They need some entertainment from all the hard work."

"At the expense of the Chunnins?"

Tsunade-sama glared at the brave soul who said that but continued, "For the first round, I was thinking about Kakashi testing,"

"Alone?"

"Yes. The nine candidates will be split into three groups over a period of three days. I want to put Kakashi's notorious reputation of a copy ninja in the front line. I take it your skills as said ninja hasn't deteriorated?" Tsunade-sama raised her eyebrows in mock challenge.

"You wound me Godaime-sama." Kakashi replied.

"You will study their techniques and style and mimic exactly as they do. I want them to feel like they're fighting a mirror image of themselves. Can you do that?"

"Of course."

"It won't be taxing for you? Especially if you're taking on your former students at once? They have brute strength both of them. Actually, I don't even know why we're including them into this exam. We all know they will pass with flying colours. Even as Chunins, they have surpassed some of my Jounins in skill."

"Wouldn't it be unfair if Uchiha Sasuke gets examined by Hatake-san, his teacher?" I did not recognize the guy who said that.

"I know this might give Uchiha Sasuke the upperhand but believe me when I say Kakashi would be even stricter with him. If you look at another angle, wouldn't it be a handicap for Kakashi since he has personally mentored him? Kakashi knows his weakness more than anybody does. This would then be fairer for the other candidates." Tsunade-sama reasoned and the bespectacled seems contented with it.

"What about Uzumaki Naruto? He has been trained by Jiraiya-sama, a sannin. Would this be an advantage for him?"

"It's true from what we've seen, he's quite the danger however, Kakashi did mentor Naruto too so the same logic applies to him as like Sasuke. Nontheless, I do understand your concern so for that matter, the Round 1 will only be for an hour. Within the hour, the person who lands five blows first will move on to the next round."

"Tsunade-sama, are you planning to put Kakashi for the whole three days? I'm sure the other Jounins will do the job just fine too."

"My aim for Round 1 is to make certain the weaknesses and strengths the candidates have and for them to see themselves 'fighting'. My grandfather used to say this to me, _'To be able to outwit any enemy, you first have to outwit the greatest foe, yourself.' _If they cannot do this then they're not fit to be a Jounin as each Jounin should be well equipped. Each blindspot can be used against them in a battle; it's important for them to know what it is and overcome that. Round 1 will do exactly that and who better to examine them then our very own copy ninja. There's a reason why he's in ANBU." People nodded in acknowledgement.

"Violent objections?" Nobody uttered a word, "Good, moving on."

"Round 2 will be held immediately when the results of Round 1 gets announced. Since there's an odd number of 9 candidates, there will be 3 groups of twos and 1 group of three. Each group will be brought to four end of the forest and there the results of Round 1 will be revealed in a parchment. There, they will be 'ambushed' by a Jounin and for the one group with 3 people in it, there will be 2 Jounins."

"How are the teams assigned? Grouped by their jutsu type?" This time, Asuma asked.

"That has not been confirmed. It will be discussed further in the next briefing but most probably, the most imcompatible of jutsu type shall be put together."

"May I ask why?" Tsunade-sama had that knowing look in her eyes.

"In times of war like the one we just had, we can't pick and choose the people we fight with. The shinobis must bend and work together with other nearing shinobis even if they are not compatible in fighting styles and make it work. It's vice-versa. Chances are, they won't get an enemy who are favourable to them. Therefore, we have to prepare them for such an event. In addition, this will test their ability to adapt and change to their surroundings. Everything must be quick and swift; there mustn't be any mistakes in war."

She looked around for any sign of confusion and saw none, so she continued, "It's expected of the current Jounins to be able to fight off 2 people at a time. I will be highly disappointed if you couldn't," There was a slight warning in her tone of voice.

"Last but not least, the third round." Her eyes twinkled with amusement, "It would be one-on-one against a special examiner. I'm not going to tell and spoil the surprise for everybody so it shall remain a secret. But I have an inkling it would blow everybody's socks off." Tsunade-sama's laughter pierced into my ear and it sounded evil.

"Is it you Tsunade-sama?"

"Unfortunately, no. I will be judging the exam from the sideline. The rest of the information shall be discussed further in the next briefing two weeks after. Dismissed." All of us stood up and bowed as Tsunade-sama made her exit.

"Come Shizuka, we need to start placing bets!" I sighed at Konoha's gambling addict of a Hokage.

* * *

><p>After the meeting was adjourned, I stayed behind to tidy up the room.<p>

"Why were you upset the other day?" Kakashi startled me with his sudden question and I dropped the files I was holding on to.

"I don't want to talk about it so just leave me alone,"I said and continued picking up the fallen papers.

"Was it something I said?" Kakashi's voice was laced with traces of fear but I couldn't really tell why.

Frustrated, I turned and faced him, "If you really must know, yes."

"...What was it?"

I looked at him as if he was deranged. Did he _really_ not know what was so offending about what he said? I just continued to stare at him, figuring for myself if he was pretending not to know. A few seconds passed and we were in a staring contest. Then, realization hit me, he _really _doesn't know!

"You propositioning me was what you said." I put the files aside to fold my arms.

"...That was bad? I never knew. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." Kakashi looked stunned and flabbergasted.

"You were asking for a one-night stand! And to me, a guy! I thought it was all a joke to you and that you were mocking me." I raised my voice at him.

"..Why would I mock you?" Kakashi voice sounded genuinely confused.

"I don't know. Maybe it was funny to poke fun at somebody who's inexperienced for the lack of a better word." Even as I was saying that, I felt my face flushing.

Kakashi continued to stare at me with those unreadable eyes, "You're a v-virgin?"

"Oh heavens no. I didn't mean it like that. What I meant was that .." I sighed, not knowing how to explain futher, "as compared to you, I'm inexperienced. I heard what your one-night stands had to say and it felt insulting that I was being treated like one of them."

"..I don't quite understand." He replied.

"Look, I believe in doing that with somebody you love."

Kakashi's frowned as if he was contemplating on my words, "You do?"

"Yes!" I said, exasperated.

"I've never fallen in love." Kakashi's voice was quiet, "The way I'm living now is the only way I know how. Nobody has ever told me how to and I'm too old to believe in fairytales."

I was taken aback for a bit, "Nobody can tell you how to fall in love. Haven't you felt love from somebody? From your parents?" I said the last part tentatively, I could only assume.

"I'm grateful to my parents for bringing me up but if what transpired between them in the marriage was love then I don't need it," Kakashi's face was calm but I could tell by how he spoke that bitterness lies somewhere.

"Oh, I'm sorry." I didn't want to pry and instead placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Maybe his twisted personality isn't his to fully blame.

"You don't have to be. Now that I know what I did is not appreciated with people of your kind, please accept my sincere apology." I was shocked when Kakashi bowed his head to me but somehow, I felt that there is more of Kakashi than what meets the eye.

"You're forgiven."

"I'll see you around Iruka-sensei." Kakashi began walking out of the room.

I had to say something, "You know, I'm a good listener."

Kakashi turned back and gave me a small smile through his mask, "thanks."

"Maybe someday we can get dinner together ... as friends and I can get to know you better besides the creep who likes to make me angry." I grinned.

"Why not now?"

"E-excuse me?" I thought I might have heard him wrongly.

"I'm starving and I hadn't had a decent meal in days."

"O-oh, O-okay." What just happened? At first, I was angry with him but now I felt sympathetic and now I'm going to eat dinner with him as friends?

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><p>"Thank you for coming here on such short notice." I welcomed them and laughed inwardly at each of their confused and shocked faces.<p>

"Iruka-sensei, HI!" Naruto's face lighted up when he saw me standing in front of the blackboared after he barelled in the classroom late. That earned him an eyeroll from Sasuke. Even after all these years, they are still at each other's throats, annoyed by each other's small actions.

"Teme! Why didn't you wake me up?" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at Sasuke.

"It isn't my fault you sleep like the dead! Plus, I didn't know you were called for whatever this is." Sasuke shrugged him off and gave him a snort of derision.

"Alright you two, break it up," I knew they were going to start fighting like children if I didn't stop them.

They stopped but glared muderiously at each other. They ha their backs turned and it was my turn to roll my eyes. Looking at the future of our Jounins, I sighed in acceptance.

"If you will all settle down, I have good news for you," I can almost taste the questions in the air.

"Konoha has been down on Jounins for quite some time now and since recently, the state of the village is getting better. So now, we can afford to pause the reconstruction of a few buildings to do this," I unfurled the long scroll I was given. I didn't actually know what it says but Tsunade-sama asked me to do it to create suspense so I did.

Gasps and the murmurs of the nine candidates filled the room. I looked and the scroll said, "CONGRATULATIONS ON MAKING THE JOUNIN EXAMS!" I laughed.

"NO FREAKING WAY! YAYYYYYYYY!" Naruto jumped out of his seat to hug me tight.

"..W-we are se-selected for Jounin exam?" Hinata's small voice held amazement.

I smiled, "Yes. Congratulations to you all."

Naruto still clung to me like a koala and I didn't have the heart to pull away.

"One more step to being the Hokage!" Naruto shouted in excitement.

"Don't kid yourself usuratonkachi, if it's anybody for rokudaime, it will be me first and _then_ you," Sasuke smirked.

Instantaneously, Naruto released his hold on me and lunged at Sasuke screaming, "Teme!" I knew this Naruto will actually punch Sasuke so I got in between them, my right hand on Naruto's chest and my left on Sasuke's chest. I glared at both of their shocked faces.

"If you do not stop, I will personally make you," I used my teacher's voice and that seem to do it because they quickly stopped and sat down.

"How did you do that? I didn't even see you move," Sasuke commented with arms crossed in displeasure.

"How could you? You were too focused on attacking Naruto," Sasuke didn't argue but I knew he didn't buy it. I was trained to be stealthy; an assassin Of course I had to be as quiet as the wind, maybe even a little too silent. But, that attribute was what made me deadly in the day.

I glanced at the rest of the candidates. About half was fresh faces and they looked scared out of their wits while people like Neji and Kiba were unfazed and looked annoyed by those two. Considering how many fearsome tales has been told of Naruto's batch of graduates, I weren't surprised. They come but only twice in a generation; one whose togetherness and friendship speaks for themselves. They had managed to make quite a reputation of themselves amongst the other shinobis.

"Can we speed things along? Akamaru's hungry." Kiba spoke up and Akamaru barked in approval from on top of Kiba's head or tried to. He's grown so big over the years all he could place on top of Kibas' head was two paws of his and even then, he was struggling to keep them in place.

"Okay, for the rules and regulations," nine pair of eyes stared at me, "there is none. So do try to not get killed," Some snorted at this statement.

"No offense but why are you announcing such a big news to us instead of another Jounin? Afterall, you're a Chunnin like the rest of us Iruka-sensei." A smart-mouthed red-haired boy asked me with saccharine laced words. I remembered the same condescending look in the meeting room a few days ago and I felt my vein popping. Why can't they just let it go?

I looked up to him, took a deep breath and flashed him a huge smile. I recalled the warnings I had gotten about this particular one. Even Sasuke looked scandalized when he spoke. Akabane Chisato, the chauvinistic troublemaker of class 08.

"If you have any problems regarding my authority, you may want to take it up with Tsunade-sama herself because by questioning me in this matter, you're questioning her judgement," That managed to shut him up perfectly. His smirk fell and the rest of them snickered. I am going to have fun making him humble in the coming exam.

"So, when will the Jounin exam start?" Hyuuga Neji raised his hands and asked - always the polite one.

"We are still deciding on that so on the mean time, you guys might want to prepare. It's going to be a rough ride."

"Heh. This exam is going to be easy~" Naruto swiped his nose and held his head high in pride.

"Stop embarrassing yourself," Sasuke rolled his eyes. Naruto just shrugged off his comment.

"You'll be ask to come back on a later date when everything's affirmative. I bid you all good luck and congratulations once again." I bowed and left the room.

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><p><strong>AN: **

OMG, AN UPDATE AFTER 15 DAYS~! HURRAYYYYYYYYY! I'm not a complete failure afterall! XD**  
><strong>I said I will try to update every two weeks. Hopefully everything goes smoothly.  
>I'm actually having my mid-year exams actually so, yeah.<p>

I'm not quite pleased with how this chapter turned out.  
>Do give me your feedbacks! If the characters gets more OOC or something or if you would like to see somebody or suggestions would be nice! :DD<p>

Thank you once again for reading, even if you reviewed or not. :))


	7. Semihiatus notice

SEMI-HIATUS NOTICE! 

I feel like I owe you guys, who are waiting for my updates, whoever you may be, an apology and an explanation.  
>I've been caught up in work and school. There were exams too right after the last update so I put updating a new chapter aside.<br>I had a quick chapter outline written but it's not satisfactory and I feel like I can do better. I've read the constructive reviews I had and it helped me rethink about where I want this story to go. Frankly, I'm having kind of a writers' block and in one of the things to strike in my to-do list is to clarify all the loopholes you guys have found in the story.  
>I intend to finish this chaptered fic, don't worry, but you guys have to be extremely patient with me. XD<p>

My major exam will end in early November so do expect more updates then. YAYY! :D  
>But the main thing I wanna say is THANK YOU to the people who have read and reviewed and also to people who have not but are still silently waiting for an update. XD<p>

I have a sasusaku oneshot half-written but it's more Sakura-centric though.

That being said and done, I hope you guys will keep on supporting me.

Much love,

Succexytop~


	8. The Awkwardness

DISCLAIMER: Do not own Naruto.

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><p><strong><span>REPLIES!<span> :D**

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**kennardaillard : **I hope you don't find my kakashi here OOC. I tried to fit him into context. Because I write it in Irukas' POV, it's a bit hard to write the inner thoughts of Kakashi but I will be delving further into his character. Thank you for the constructive criticism. I needed it. Hope you will find this chapter better. ^^

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**Colgate Cavity Protection** : Thank you! updated now~~ Hope you like it! :D

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><p>I woke up to the house eerily silent. Living with Naruto made it easy to get mini seizures when you hear sudden loud noises. Even in his sleep, he is not quiet. Naruto has a habit of gritting his teeth and sighing in his sleep in addition to the daily snoring. At first, I could not get a good nights' rest, as I was very used to the house being too quiet you could hear a pin drop but now that Naruto has been living for a good month, it does not bother me anymore. Thank god, that period is over because getting tense and having your shoulders clenching at every little sound gets very tiring.<p>

Routinely, I got up, washed my face and brushed my teeth. I made a beeline to the coffee maker. Surprisingly, I found Naruto already in the kitchen. He sat cuddled with a blanket over his figure and a mug of hot chocolate held with both hands. He couldn't be there long since his drink still had steam coming out of it. I glanced over and noticed the dark circles under his eyes coupled with bloodshot eyes. That's weird. Usually when he looks like an insomniac, it probably was a tough mission or a game marathon and I knew it weren't both. I opened my mouth to question his odd behaviour but stopped when a long sigh escaped Naruto as he brought his blanket closer to his body.

"Morning Naruto," I greeted him like I do every morning.

Naruto raised his drooping head in slowly just to do drop it back equally slow after a 'good morning' to me.

"Something the matter?" I tried to appear casual and went about brewing a hot-pot of coffee; black with a spoonful of sugar, just the way I like it.

I turned to repeat my question when seconds went by without a reply. Narutos' eyebrows were furrowed and the smile always on his face was doing the opposite. I couldn't help but feel worried. Naruto is the biggest ball of sunshine I know and seeing him sad is affecting me too. Giving him time to contemplate on the demons in his mind, I started taking out the ingredients for a simple breakfast. My eyes went up and down the refrigerator briefly and decided on last nights' Miso soup and cold soba noodles.

"Have you eaten yet?" My voice managed to snap him out of his reverie and instantly, his eyes grew wider and he stared up at me. His actions reminded me of a puppy on alert and I stifled laughter.

"Huh? ..O-oh yeah, I haven't," Naruto gave a small smile but his cheeks was turning a slight pink.

"Alright then, breakfast will be ready in 15 minutes. Do you have anywhere to be today?" I sipped on my coffee sporadically while waiting for the Miso soup to get heated up.

"Well, I was supposed to train with Sasuke today but I guess that's out of the question now," Narutos' reply got me raising an eyebrow.

"Why?"

Narutos' face turned crimson red and he scratched his head awkwardly, "Something weird happened last night with him and I don't think I can see his face without combusting into flames in embarrassment. Now that _that_ happened, I think I'mma have to find something else to do," Naruto didn't meet my eyes but continued scratching his head. In the years that I've known them, Naruto and Sasukes' interactions were mainly based on friendly insults and training sessions with each other. It was normal if they were hurling verbal abuse at each other and more often than not, I will be on the receiving end of Narutos' never-ending bouts of anger about _'teme'._ This now, is not normal.

"I assume you're avoiding him now?"

"Yes."

"Do you wanna talk it over?"

"I-it's okay. I need to think it over for myself," Sometimes I forget that my little boy is growing up until the serious Naruto appears.

I gave him a smile, "That's alright. I'll be here if you need a listening ear."

"Thanks 'ruka," Naruto flashed me a genuine smile that makes his zombie-like state a mere illusion if not for the conversation we just had for evidence.

The sweet-earthy smell of the soup signified that the soup was ready and I put it on little bowls filled with the cold noodles on the table. "Itadakimasu," I said, followed by an echo from Naruto. We ate our breakfast in silence and went our separate ways after. We both had things to do; Naruto on his mission to find a new sparring partner and me, to find out what to do with my _'syoukanshi-san'._

Mustering whatever was left of my confidence, I knocked on Tsunade-samas' door and slowly creaked open the door. I dreaded seeing her recently. It seems like each time I meet her, something unlucky was bound to happen to me.

"Iruka! The man of the hour. Please come in." Tsuande sounded chirpy, almost cackling and it scared me.

"What can I do for you Hokage-sama?" I did the obligatory bow of respect.

"I called you in here to discuss about the Jounin exams. In particular, Round 3 of the exams. The one where _you _are gonna personally take part in," I heard the glee in her voice loud and clear, "Now, I know that you have not been going on for missions abroad so I'm can't say for sure just how ready you are to do this," She's right. I wasn't prepared at all, "Therefore, I want you to train for it until the day of examinations. I shall denounce you of your teaching duties for now and Hite-sensei will be taking over your classes from now on."

I processed all the information in, "Hai Tsunade-sama. However, may I ask how long I will be off-duty? I still have a few lessons left to cover before my Genins' examination and there is so much to do before their graduation. I personally promised them their very own engraved hitae."

"The Jounin exams wouldn't be until after a month and there will still be the initiation of the newly promoted Jounins. I'm sure it won't take more than 2 months or so. You will be able to make it for your precious students' graduation, don't worry," She replied while searching for something on her messy desk filled with stacks of untouched paper.

"Is the round of testing made official yet?" I know not everything have been finalized but the date _should _be made available to the candidates at least. I know Naruto is dying to find out."

"Don't get me started on things I need to prepare before the examination. It gives me a headache just thinking about it. I have to gain the approval of the difficult elders and on top of that, I have to take in consideration the board of judges' concerns. I don't know why I agreed to become Hokage. Oh right, _Naruto_," Narutos' name spoken with annoyance.

"It seems like all our problems starts with Naruto," I joked good-heartedly in hope of lightening the stress clear on her face.

"I hope he's worth my headache," She sighed.

"I'm sure he will meet your expectations Tsunade-sama," I smiled and reassured her.

Her frown turned into a fond smile, "I know he will."

I knew Tsunade-sama has a spot in her heart for him. Naruto did remind her so much of her younger brother. It's astonishing if one think about how Naruto used to be on the end of ridicule and the villagers anger. Who knew he would be making the villagers eat their mean words and I'm pretty sure it's an open secret to everybody that he will be out Hokage one day, leading the world to world peace. He has that influence; worming into your hearts.

"Here we go, the file on this year's candidates. Can you pass this to Kakashi for me? He left it here by accident when he came to report something...or not," Tsunade-samas' face was thoughtful; "I think he left the file here deliberately just so he could procrastinate."

"That does sound like him. But why do you want me to pass it to him?" I asked her, quite bewildered by her request.

"Oh, I've seen you two often together and just naturally assumed you're good friends with him. Plus, Kakashi told me you are good friends with him that's why I made you guys work together for the report." She explained.

I stood there dumbfounded.

"Are you guys _not _friends?" Tsunade-sama crossed her arms and raised a questioning eyebrow at me.

"... He's a friend, more like an acquaintance really. What made him think that we were good friends?" I asked her.

"Beats me but he does think otherwise. Please do me this favour and pass him the report when you see him," I took the brown file she handed to me, "And you know what Iruka, " I do not like the sound of this, "I've decided to have you train with Kakashi as much as possible from now till the exams. He needs the training and so do you."

I felt like my world was crashing below my feet, "_What?_" My voice crescendo-ed and I wanted to punch myself for whining like a child.

"Isn't it just brilliant?" Tsunade-sama had an evil smile etched on her face, "I get to kill two birds with one stone. Both my main examiners get to train with an equally powerful opponent," And if I thought her grin couldn't get more devilish, I was dead wrong, "And since you guys are just _such_ good friends, this will be a perfect time to bond and get to know each other better."

I gulped.

"Please don't do this to me," I whispered, horrified at the thought.

"Tell me 5 good reasons why not and I'll let you go. Who will be better to train with you then our genius, Hatake Kakashi?"

"For one, he doesn't know I'm syoukanshi and isn't the whole point of me being syounkanshi is so that nobody knows my identity?" I tried desperately to get myself of a very sticky situation.

"True," I heaved a sigh of relief, "But," I stopped breathing, "I'm sure Kakashi will keep his mouth shut about it because I will do it for him if the secret does get out. Besides, letting one other person know isn't going to kill you."

"It just might! You don't know that!" I felt beads of perspiration forming on my forehead.

"Don't be silly Iruka. My decision is final," Her voice held no room for bargain and I felt like tearing in frustration.

"Soon, you will see my way," Her eyes had a glint I could not figure out, "You're dismissed."

I was on my way out of the door but hesitated, "Have you told him about me?"

"Nope. That's up to you."

How merciful of her. I left her office with a heavy heart and prayed these few months would come and go in a blink of an eye. Looking down at the brown file I held in my hands, I sighed deeply.

* * *

><p>My stomach growled and I counted the hours since I've last eaten. It has been 7 hours. It was no wonder my stomach was protesting against me. What should I get for dinner? I feel like indulging myself with some delicious okonomiyaki from the Akimichi restaurant. They have the best okonomiyaki in town. The meat is tender, seasoned and grilled to perfection for hours. Their ingredients are bought fresh at the break of dawn at the local market each day and the Akimichis' are very generous with their serving portion. With the care and love put in preparing of the meal, one would expect nothing but the best. Just thinking about it got me salivating.<p>

As I got nearer to the restaurant, I smelt the seasoned grilled meat and barbecue and I swore even my stomach salivated. I slide the door to my left and instantly got smacked in the face with the aroma of everything mouth-watering and savoury.

"Irasshaimase!" A bubbly waitress greeted me with a bright smile. She had the Akimichis' signature apron over her pink uniform and a bandanna tied around her forehead, keeping her hair neat and tidy.

I bowed and glanced over for empty spots to sit at. A flicker of silver hair passed at the corner of my eye and I did a double take. Kakashi? Squinting my eyes to be certain, I stared again for a few seconds and yeah, it was Kakashi. Who can simply forget silver hair on somebody? Seeing him, I remembered the last conversation I had with him a few days ago and I groaned.

"_"Maybe someday we can get dinner together ... as friends and I can get to know you better besides the creep who likes to make me angry." I grinned._

_"Why not now?"_

_"E-excuse me?" I thought I might have heard him wrongly._

_"I'm starving and I hadn't had a decent meal in days."_

_"O-oh, O-okay." What just happened? At first, I was angry with him but now I felt sympathetic and now I'm going to eat dinner with him as friends?_

See, that didn't go exactly as planned. My heart was beating fast and my palms were all sweaty. I was a nervous-wreck. Seeing him outside made it impersonal. It made our relationship just at a colleague level but now that I offered to grab dinner with him, it made our relationship personal, intimate even. This made us _friends._

I wanted to prepare myself so I racked my brain to find many questions to ask him in case our dinner conversation goes stale. When we were on our way to get dinner, our track was blocked by Sasuke-kun. It seemed like Kakashi had forgotten his agreement to help Sasuke-kun with something that has slipped my mind. Now, I'm a huge believer of upholding a promise to somebody so I urged Kakashi to go on along with Sasuke-kun. The appearance of Sasuke-kun eased the butterflies in my stomach until the sound of my advice rang in my ear, _"Uphold your promises" _and I knew I had to make it up to him with another dinner date.

Therefore, here comes my dilemma. Should I go over and get the promised dinner or bail now while I still can? I had a mental debate with the gremlin in my head, which sounded a lot like Hime-chan. True I could just wait for another day when I'm more ready to strike a conversation with him but why wait when I could do it now? It's inevitable after all. In addition, I badly craved the okonomiyaki. I sighed in defeat. My gremlin won this round and I stalked to where Kakashi was seating; tucked infront of a single seater in a corner next to a wall. I hope today will go in peace.

"May I join you?" I voiced and congratulated myself when it came out smooth and not all cracked.

"Sure," Kakashi pulled the empty chair beside him, inviting me to sit with him. It could be my imagination but I swore I saw Kakashis' eyes widening ever so slightly.

"Can I have the okonomiyaki?" I wasted no time telling my order to the same waitress who greeted me a moment ago and remembered Kakashi, "And for you Kakashi-san?" I looked at him expectantly.

"I'll have the tonkotsu ramen please," Kakashi turned over and told the girl who was busy writing down our orders.

"Your food will be ready in about 10 minutes," She chirped and left to attend to other patrons.

"It's nice to see you here Iruka-sensei," Kakashi casually said.

"Well, I haven't forgotten about the dinner I promised to have with you," I replied with an awkward laugh.

"Always the moral one our Iruka-sensei," Kakashi lazily drawled out his words.

"I try."

"What is that file you have there?" Kakashi pointed out to the brown file Tsunade-sama gave to me earlier.

"Oh right! Tsunade-sama asked me to give this to you earlier. She said you left it at her office," Kakashi took it without hesitation.

"Thanks. I've been looking for it. I knew I misplaced it somewhere." He browsed it a little before putting it safely beside him.

"You know, Tsunade-sama said you deliberately put it there so you can avoid work."

"...Frankly, I considered it but I thought of Tsunade-samas' wrath leaving it would incur and I decided not to. She's scary," Kakashi shrugged.

"I know what you mean. She's a very intimidating woman." I laughed at Kakashis' confession.

Kakashi eyes bore into me- I could see a silhouette of a smile behind that mask of his, and it freaked me out a tiny bit. I tried to imagine a face behind that piece of dark clothing. Did he have buck-teeth as Naruto said he had or did he have a scar he wanted to hide? The possibilities and stories behind that mask were endless.

"Do you wanna know?" Kakashis' somber voice brought me out of my reverie.

"Sorry?"

"Do you wanna know the possibilities and stories behind my mask?" He leered.

My face grew red and hot. I can't believe I said that out loud. How embarrassing! I avoided his gaze and focused my view on my green tea.

"I can show you," His voice held amusement and so did his eyes, judging by the twinkle in them, "on one condition," he continued.

I gave him a pointed look but because I was intrigued, I decided to play along, "go on."

"I heard about our _arrangement_ for the Jounin exam from Tsunade-sama awhile ago," Kakashi stopped and waited for a response from me.

"Yes..." I side-eyed him and crossed my arms, not liking where this was going.

"Now, I don't know why Tsunade-sama asked me to train with you since you're not on our listed examiners, rest assured I _will_ find out. But during the training, _if_ you do manage to land a major blow on me, I'll take my mask off," Kakashi had that knowing look in his eyes, not to mention an air of arrogance to his demeanour. Oh, how I'll love wiping off the ever so permanent smirk on his face.

I leaned back and went over the options in my head. Somehow, talking to Kakashi was bringing out the challenge in me and there is no backing out now, I will be showing him why I deserved the name _syoukanshi._

"Deal," I mirrored his smirk. I extended my right hand to him and we shook on it. The normally aloof Jounin had game. The burning need to be the alpha male reflected on both our dark eyes and it was _so_ on.

Right on cue, our orders came. The tension in the air was still very high so I decided to lighten or we would be on the road to a very awkward dinner indeed. I thought of the questions I was sure I had in mind before just for this very moment and then I remembered something peculiar Kakashi had mentioned the last time we met.

_"You don't have to be. Now that I know what I did is not appreciated with people of your kind, please accept my sincere apology."_

Back then, my mind was too fuzzled with so many emotions I didn't pay much attention to those words, _'people of your kind' _but yeah, what does it even mean? It sounded condescending in my opinion and I couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

I turned to ask him about it but noticed that he has finished his meal and we had only gotten our orders a mere 3 minutes ago. I didn't even hear or see him take off his mask to eat! A true ninja in every sense I suppose but it was freaky actually thinking about it. How can somebody eat so fast and so quietly?

I shook my head lightly to get myself to focus on the topic on hand.

"Can I ask you something?" I started out delicately. When Kakashi didn't respond, I assumed it was okay to go on, "What did you mean when you said people of my kind?"

I saw Kakashis' form stiffen when I said that and just as soon as I saw it, his shoulders relaxed, "Truthfully, I had forgotten about what I said but recalling back, at that moment, I reflected on my actions and how you said you felt when I did those things. You said you felt insulted and that I made you feel like another one of my conquest. Compared to you sensei, I'm a loner. Unbelievably, many of my social interactions revolve around people I wanted to or have slept with. I suppose you could say what happened then were a force of habit. Seeing you reminded me of how different we were. It felt like you're an angel; kind, warm, pure while I was nothing but an average man; unworthy. ... Therefore, my weird comment about 'people of your kind'."

Suddenly, the okonomiyaki I craved didn't look so appetizing anymore and I put my chopsticks down. I let his reply sink into my brain. That was unexpected. His reply just made me realized there was so much more to Kakashi than I thought. This goes to show I shouldn't judge a book by its cover. The first few pages of Kakashis' book were shallow but reading further, I'm pleasantly surprised. This is the kind of man I could be friends with, not the person I met nearly a month ago.

"...I'm not pure and you're not unworthy, you know? It's the way we grew up and Kakashi, trust me when I say you didn't do all this on purpose. There is more to you than meets the eye. You were thrown in the sea of adults way too young with you being in the ANBU and all. No child should experience independence at the tender age as you did," I reassured him while a blush creeped up on my cheeks.

Kakashi sleepy gaze held my own stare and behind that mask came a wry smile as he looked away, concluding this conversation.

The next few moments were quiet as I slowly got back to devouring my meal. The air between us was awkward again and from the corner of my eyes, I peeped over to see what he was doing. He was browsing over the brown file again, concentrating on a thought.

The pregnant pause was broken when a certain boisterous laughter filled the room and overpowered other pocket of conversations in it. The laughter was familiar, I turned in curiosity to reaffirm my assumption, and right on cue, there were Naruto and the rest of his close friends casually strolling in. Along with them was Chouji-kun. It's no wonder they went here because well, the Akimichi adored the gang and since it's Chouji-kuns' family restaurant, they get to eat for free.

"Wanna get out of here? With the kids loud as they are now, we can't have a decent conversation," Kakashi laughed.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure. I'm done with my food anyway," Both of us stood up and exited the place. I wondered how many more conversation that is awkward would it take with Kakashi before we call it a night.

* * *

><p>I plopped on the couch, tired from the days' work. Kakashi and I parted ways after walking for a while through the park, talking about the candidates this year. We decided to head home when I let out a huge yawn. The whirring of the fan made me drowsy and soon, I felt myself going in and out of consciousness.<p>

"Tadaima!" Naruto exclaimed from the door and I jerked awake.

"Okairi Naruto," My eyelids were fast drooping as I greeted back.

"Guess what Iruka-sensei?" Sometimes I wish his energy had an off switch attached to him. It's bad enough his hair is the colour of the sun it could blind my eyes, his teeth had to be so white, lights refract off it.

"Yes?" I inquired softly. When did I start feeling this old? My age must be catching on.

Naruto took a place beside me and practically commanded I look at him with that 'semicolon capital D' face of his. Judging by the twinkle in his eyes, he actually expected me to guess. I knew from experience, with Naruto, he would not give in to you until you actually call out an answer.

"..You found money on the ground today?" I offered an answer.

"Nooooooo," His lips were joined in a perfect letter O while he drawled out the word no.

"You got free ramen?" I tired again, going with the flow.

"Actually, I did. Choujis' ossan treated Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba,Hinata-chan, that bastard Sasuke and me because we made it into the Jounin exam! I'm still excited about that. It is going to be so awesome. _I'm _going to be so awesome. I hope I get to fight Sasuke. I'm going to beat him so hard he will bow down to me!" Naruto giggled and went on and on about how they were all planning to have all their former teams together for a huge get-together.

Well, at least he was not moping around like this morning. I shook my head and smiled. Same ol' Naruto, bouncing off from a bad situation so quick it's crazy.

I thought about the rest of Narutos' friends and my former students. They have come a long way now. Although they may have gone their separate ways to pursue where their passion lie, they are still very close and seeing how they cherish their friendship with each other, it's heartwarming. Not many can say they will be willing to put down their life to save a comrade but their bunch will and have done so. Maybe dark clouds do come with a silver lining. If anything, the terrible war we just had proved it. In many ways, they have revolutionized the village and our way of thinking.

I met Aburame Shino-kun a few days ago and he seems to be doing great. He's now a Chunnin but has put off being a Jounin because he wanted to pursue medicine. In the war, he had found a new interest after using his insects to heal people. It was an accidental discovery when desperate time called him to do the unthinkable; using his insects' poison to cure poison. It was crunch time and at the most crucial moment, he recalled seeing his grandmother doing something similar to him when he was younger. His stroke of genius saved the lives of many and he spared no time experimenting on the possibility of vast unorthodox method of his beloved insects curing even the most impossible.

I heard Tenten-chan is doing well too. She is getting ready to start her travelling around the world, further improving on her fu'injutsu. She realized that her fighting style in konoha was limited and she made the decision to seek teachers from all over the world so she could incorporate a bit of everything before making a fighting style that's uniquely her own.

Rock Lee-kun is now teaching his own bunch of students. He is a chunnin much like me. He has decided to be like Gai-sensei, no suprise there. He is a very good teacher from the lessons I have sat in. He inspires people really well and the children loved it when he's comical which was pretty much all the time. I heard he wants to try out in the Jounin exam next year, when he's more ready.

Ino-chan is currently working with her father. She's honing her skills of reconnaissance and espionage to further help with the 'hacking' of the human mind. She's nearly surpassing her father from what I've heard. She has also been very keen in leaning herbology since she has the medical knowledge and her family owns a flower shop. Ino-chan hasn't decided on which path she wanted to go down with but it's alright, she knows she doesn't need to decide immediately.

Chouji-kun is working closely with his and the Naras' clan to find a way to mimic the effect of the three-coloured pills without having to suffer the after-effects. Due to Shikamarus' genius and the Nara clans' medical encyclopedia which helped him recover from the fatal effect of the three-coloured pills, they have come close to finding a solution. Chouji-kun is also trying to incorporate a new coloured pill but it was still in the experimenting stage.

And that leaves us to Saku- "SAKURA-CHAN CAME BACK TODAY! We bumped into her at Choujis' restaurant!" Naruto was bouncing on the couch in excitement, radiating from his peel. I got startled when Naruto screamed in my ear without warning because I was distracted.

Whatever Naruto was saying before went in one ear and went out the other. I perked up at the news too. It has been awhile since I've heard from her too. After she became a mednin, she has been too busy running everywhere in the village with helping of injured ninjas' to tending errands for Tsunade-sama. Like many others, she found out her passion lies with healing and from then on, she could be found reading medical books from Tsunade-samas' personal library. It was uncanny how similar she was to our godaime, from her brutal strength to her genius in medicine. It was an open secret she was Tsunade-samas' protegé after Shizuka-san.

Sakura-chan applied to the mednin examinations nearly a year ago. She had without a doubt, passed it with flying colours. In a niche area such as the medical industry, the competitiveness level was higher than the regular Jounin examinations. In addition to the practical and theory examinations she had to go through, she needed to prove to her superiors and jury she could fight off an élite. On average, a normal person would be at least 25 before even considered such an important position but not with our Sakura-chan. She was an exception and her applicant was accepted in a heartbeat. She displayed an extraordinary talent in the war; a kunoichi containing both brain and brawn. She was you could say, an asset to the village.

"How is she?" I inquired happily, my voice cracking excitedly.

"She's doing well. She just came back from Suna. She has gotten tan though. Must be the strong sun they have back in Suna. It's a wonder how Gaara can still be so pale and pasty even with all that sunlight," I laughed looking at Naruto making a face of disgust when he said the last part.

"Well, they wear clothing suited for their weather and they cover their faces when they go outside. Remember how we did that too when we went over there?" I explained to him using my teacher voice. Opps, old habits die hard.

"I guess that's true. Anyway, what was she doing there again? I can't remember," Naruto eyes' went up to the ceiling and he scratched his head with vigour; a sign that he was trying to recall things.

I chuckled, "She went there for an ally exchange with Suna. Gaara-kun requested it because they too were lacking with information on a particular disease. I cannot quite remember the details now but we also had a particular disease we needed more information on so Tsunade-sama agreed on the exchange. Since she couldn't personally go down there because of the situation with our own village, she sent Sakura-chan. She was so elated when she heard the news."

"Sakura-chan deserves it!" Naruto pumped his fist in the air.

"She does."

Can you tell me whom I'm going against in round 1? Pretty please?" Naruto pleaded me with his bright blue doe-eyes, purposely enlarging them because he knew I could not resist those eyes. However, not tonight. I can't tell him about this. If found out, I will be severely punished and so will Naruto.

"Sorry sweetie, no can do. If I told you, I will be fired and then my credibility will always be questioned. Sorry, you understand right?" By this time, Hime-chan decided to reapper, sat on my lap, and started purring when I ran my hand over her silky fur. Naruto looked dejected but he smiled anyway.

"It's okay sensei, I understand." Then, Naruto joined in and started petting Hime-chan too. She relaxed under his touch and curled in on herself.

"Neh, Iruka-sensei..." a bashful Naruto spoke quietly, "what was your age when you lost your ...err, ehm, v-virginity?" Narutos' face was a deep vermilion red. I froze for a second. Was this how it was like for Sandaime when he decided to have the 'talk' with me? Man, _must _I have many awkward conversations today?

I gulped and laughed nervously, trying to salvage the situation, "Where did this come from?" I can hear the silent giggle Hime-chan beneath my hand.

Naruto avoided my gaze, "It's just one of those things that I wonder sometimes..."

"I'm sorry Naruto but I'm uncomfortable talking about this with you."

"Please Iruka-sensei? You're the only person I can talk to about this," Narutos' head hung low and his voice got softer.

"What about Jiraiya-sama? Clearly he knows a lot about this than I do," I can't believe I'm discussing this with Naruto.

"I want somebody who will tell me the truth! Ero-sennin will just give me one of his books to read and fankly, I don't think half of those things are believable. Besides! I'm 18 and legal sensei pleaseeee?" Naruto came close to my face, justifying his question with close proximity.

I felt cautious and examined his face for a minute.

"..I was 16." I crossed my arms and lay back on the couch. I gave in as he had a point. He's 18 and I cannot imagine him asking anyone else other than me.

Naruto stared at me with his impossibly wide eyes and blinked a few times, "Sorry?

"I was 16 when it first happened." I face-palmed myself in my mind.

Suddenly, Naruto ran off to his room and I wondered if he had regretted bringing up the topic. But, just as quick as he had gone, he came back with blankets and a wide grin on his face, "I wanted to get comfortable. I can predict it's going to be a long story," He giggled.

"Brat," I chided lightly.

I took the blanket from him and covered us up. Naruto huddled up beside me like a cat. I got comfortable too and sighed. Here I go.

"My first was a petite girl with long brunette hair and a nice smile. She had the prettiest hazel eyes and the purest of voice. She had come to Konoha with her parents and her four siblings. They were a travelling troupe and would stay in a certain village for about a month before moving on to another. I saw them perform at the marketplace one time and I was mesmerized by how she graciously she moved and how her hair will fall perfectly at her waist after a somersault. You could say it was love at first sight." I chuckled, thinking back on that day.

"Was it also love at first sight for her? Naruto sighed from beside me.

"I didn't ask but I would like to hope it was. Right after that performance, I knew I had to talk to her. I felt like I was a moth and attracted to her flame. Little by little, we started getting closer to each other. She was my first in every way. My first girlfriend, first love, my first kiss, my first in _that area _and my first heartbreak."

"It sounds so nice." Naruto looked up to me with shining eyes.

"It is. When you meet that special someone, it's like nothing else matters and the fears you have just melt away when she tells you it's okay to be scared. When she hug you our hold you hand, the world seem so small and yet so big at the same time. When you are together, you can conquer everything you couldn't do alone. The strength and support you get from that person is indescribable. Every mundane thing seems interesting and you feel unstoppable. You have all these emotions in your gut that you wanna let out. You just wanna scream and take on the world." As I reminisce, a picture of us under a tree holding hands while waiting for the sunset formed in my mind and I remembered the way she smelt.

"I hope I will find somebody who helps me feel that way."

"You will sweetie."

"What happened next?"

"Well, as we got closer to each other, we were also reminded that our love had an expiration date. The date to a month was steadily reaching and we knew we had to say our goodbyes soon."

"That sucks."

"It did but you know what? I will always cherish the relationship we had. We had a friendly goodbye. It pained us both to part but we knew we will always have a place in each others' heart and nobody could take that precious memory we built away from us. It was just ours to keep. We understood that what we had was only meant for that moment in time. Then, there was only her, me and now."

"Wow..."

"One day before she left, we decided to just sit and watch the sunrise till it made way to the sunset. We talked about everything possible under the sky. It was bittersweet. On the day that she was leaving, she came running to find me with a sad look in her eyes. She did not say much and when I tangled her soft hands in mine, we knew we were ready. I was in a daze and I cannot remember exactly what I was doing at the time but it felt right. I felt our souls becoming one as we slowly connected. There was no hurry for it was only us then. When I saw the love and passion in her eyes, I knew it was destined. She held my most intimate experiences and I would not change a thing if I had to do it again."

I exhaled a long sigh, nostalgia hitting me hard.

"The most heartbreaking thing for me was when she gingerly kissed my forehead and thanked me before she turned and left. I was overwhelmed with emotions. I was happy, sad, disappointed all at the same time. Don't tell anyone this but I wept a little when her I could no longer see her silhouette as she walked away into the deep forest with the rest of her family." As I said this, I felt my eyes tearing a little but I held it in. I didn't want Naruto to see it.

Naruto hugged me, "It's okay 'ruka. I'm sure she was just as heartbroken as you were."

I laughed heartily at that, "Are you satisfied with my story Naruto?"

"Very. Thank you for telling me that 'ruka. I have made a decision," Narutos' voice was firm.

"And that is?"

"I'm ready to give my first to Sasuke."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Hope this chapter find everybody in the pink of health! I know I promised to update after my exams in November but straight after my last paper, a few days later I was back at work. It's tiring and each time I wanted to write, it will be when I needed to sleep.

I wanted to hit 10k for this chapter but I just couldn't. Do tell me if you found the characters here an improvement than the last few chapters. 6K worth of words is still pretty awesome right? ^^

I'll try to update soon after this. My brother is coming back from Brunei and my mom is going to Maldives so I have to take over her job. I'm going to be super busy but I do have already plot in my mind for the next chapter. Frankly, the last scene for this chapter just popped out of nowhere and I had to chance my plans. Oh wells. Hope you guys don't think the whole chapter was too much dialogue.

Any discrepancies, don't hold back and tell me. I really do take into account your feedback. It goes the same with any scene you liked in the story. heeehee.

A long comment will be nice to get from the readers. It will be the pick me up I need.

Thank you for being patient and happy holidays to you guys! :D

Much love to everybody.


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